Joshua Graham and the Scientist
by alyssa0496
Summary: Joshua Graham is living in Zion Canyon and looking after the safety of the Dead Horses and Sorrows as per usual until one day he saves the life of a young scientist named Alice Lee. He nurses her back to health and lets her stay in Zion due to her home having been destroyed by the Legion. Over time, the two develop a strong bond and fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

1.

Her town was gone. Everwood was no more. What was left of it was only ashes and rubble. The only people who survived the pillaging were her sister April and herself.

Alice Lee forced back her tears because she didn't want to give the satisfaction Caesar craved. Alice took hold of her twin's hand and grasped it tightly. She was all that Alice had now.

"Why?" she said to herself.

Her town wasn't special. It was small, and it wasn't near anything else except Hoover Dam. Even then, they weren't allowed to use its water. The mayor wanted them to use the ground wells instead. In short, it was more of a lodging settlement for travelers who were often lost or on the brink of death. Alice felt a jab on her left side and turned to see a legion recruit glare at her.

"Get going!" he said.

Alice and April proceeded to walk to their right, where Caesar and his frumentarii were standing.

"Good work, Vulpes. It was time that these treacherous profligates got what they deserved. To think they could serve both the Legion and the NCR. What whores. Just like Nipton." the bald man man named Vulpes Inculta only nodded.

Caesar walked closer to the Lee sisters and stopped a foot away from them. Both at once took a step back, their heads held high.

"So you two are the head scientists of this disgusting settlement?" he asked. "Women, of all things. What was this, a matriarchal society?"

The sisters said nothing.

"However, very pretty ones as well. I don't think I ever knew a female scientist who was beautiful. Most female scientists are ugly to look at."

The Lee sisters were known to be rather beautiful to those who encountered them. They each had thick black hair, the same heart shaped faces, curvy and proportionate figures, ivory complexions, lips as red as grapefruits and eyes that were a deep dark chocolate. The only difference between the two was that Alice had her hair long and wavy with blunt bangs reminiscent of Bettie Page's, and April had her hair in a short A-line bob parted to the right. Each wore Vault 11 jumpsuits passed down to them from their mother along with Pip-Boys. Alice was the only one of the two who wore glasses, which were black rimmed, as she was horribly near sighted.

The sisters only narrowed their eyes and said nothing. Caesar smiled.

"Ah, also rather quiet," he said. "I suppose we can make use of you two ladies, as we need a repairman or two. Our last one was an imbecile. And besides, we have plenty of breeders for the Legion, along with medical specialists. Unless you have other skills that could help make our invasions take less time, or even know any secret whereabouts of the NCR. Yes, yes. You two will do nicely." he nodded, talking more to himself. "And now, we best get going."

He reached out to take each sister by the arm, but it was Alice who stepped back and took a punch at his face.

"We won't go anywhere with you!" she spat.

Two of Caesar's Praetorian guards stepped forward to grab Alice and knocked her unconscious. Then, they threw her aside.

"Alice!" April shouted while struggling against Caesar's grip.

"Silence! Unless you wish for me to do the same to you, it would be best if you stay quiet and stay put!" he said to her.

April bitterly nodded her head, trying not to cry tears of anger.

"At least let me help get her up off the fl-"

"No. Vulpes!" Caesar shouted.

The man known as Vulpes Inculta walked briskly towards Caesar.

"Yes?"

"Carry this stubborn one for me. Make sure you tie her up so that she is tame. I don't need her to be lashing out and making a fool of herself. When we get back to camp, place her in my tent. I will have a word with her when she regains consciousness." Caesar ordered.

April turned back to look one last time at Everwood, what was once her home. She silently wished she and Alice could've done more for all their neighbors, or at least saved their family. Looking at the crosses that had her friends and family nailed to them irked her. But what upset her more was that she couldn't keep up a fight with Caesar's men, much less prevent crucifixion or anyone from getting shot in the head. Why her home? Didn't they already conquer enough of the Mojave Wasteland? Why was Hoover Dam so important to them? Was it because of that failure from the first battle?

April turned away and walked next to Caesar, his grip on her arm was ever so firm. She felt empty.

"I suggest you and your sister forget about Everwood. Your new home is with the Legion. You are my servants and you will do as I bid, unless you too wish to be crucified, or worse."

What could be worse than crucifixion and being burned?

April only sighed.

"Good girl."

And so the Legion marched on into the night.

The Legion's encampment wasn't very far from Everwood. It had at least twenty or so small tents that surrounded a larger tent. It only took forty five minutes to get there, but to April it felt like an eternity. She didn't feel very comfortable walking into the camp.

"Vulpes," Caesar said. "Take these two into my tent. We will arrange a private tent for them later. I suggest you also get two beds set out for them too."

"Yes, sir."

Vulpes shifted the unconscious Alice over to his left shoulder and grabbed April with his right hand. He led April into the tent and then set down Alice onto the ground while reaching for rope that was sitting on a chair inside.

He proceeded to tie her up.

"Please don't tie her up too tight," April pleaded.

But Vulpes paid her no mind, as he tied Alice's wrists very tightly together, just as tight as he did her ankles. Once he finished tying Alice, he left the tent. April fell to her feet, sobbing. She reached over to Alice and held her.

"What will we do?" April cried to an unconscious Alice.

After realizing she wasn't going to get an answer, she sat there dumbfounded. At that moment, Caesar walked in.

"Ah, there you are." he said.

She glared at him, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. April set Alice down beside her and stood to face Caesar.

"Don't look at me like that. You should be glad I let you live. I didn't have to save a woman like you, much less a scientist. We don't need you folk who are fond of the new technology. I've killed plenty of women prettier than you, don't think it was your looks that saved you. It was your stubbornness. You fought back. I believe you killed one of my men. That's why we decided to grab you, to deal with you later. That is, until Vulpes went through some of your things in your house and noticed that you were trying to escape."

"I'd rather be dead." April said.

"As much as I wouldn't mind killing you here and now, I'm afraid I'm a few people short here. You see, without a blacksmith, we can't do much. Yes, the men know how to take their weapons apart and clean them, but if they're terribly broken, well, they don't know how to piece things back together. That's how stupid they are. And our last idiot would rig them to fall apart and kill my men. I am hoping you won't do that, or else you'll endure something worse than crucifixion or slow torture. As this is my main camp for now since that damned Courier destroyed the fort, I am in dire need of your services."

She said nothing.

"So it's the silent treatment, then? Well, now. I will give you time to think about it tomorrow. Go rest, your tent is ready. But don't think you can fool me or try to get away. I have your tent guarded. You can't escape, you know. As for your sister, we will place her in the tent with you but won't untie her until she is awake."

April fled Caesar's tent. Outside it was dark, and the air was warm. All she saw were small tents with people in Legion clothing moving in and out of them or sleeping in them. She wasn't sure where to go. One of Caesar's men came up to her.

"Follow me," he said.

She walked a few inches behind him, making sure not to run into the man. He stopped two tents left from Caesar's.

"I'll bring your sister shortly," he said.

April stepped in to the tent where there were two beds already. Her's and Alice's backpacks were set against the pillows. Right as April was about to rest her head on the pillow on the bed to the right, a woman came over to her.

"You will wear this," she said, handing April a white rag outfit with a light red X over the chest.

April looked at her funny.

"Thank you," she said shortly.

The woman nodded.

"Ave, true to Caesar," the woman said, then walked away.

April grimaced at the outfit. She tossed it behind her backpack and crossed her arms. True to Caesar my ass, she thought. In her heart she knew she would never be true to Caesar. Already she wasn't true to God, as she and Alice stopped going to Mass after being confirmed into the Catholic church. Church. Oh how she would rather be there a thousand times over being in a Legion camp. April knew she could never return to the peaceful life she had once known.

Just then, another one of Caesar's recruits brought in Alice. He set her down on the bed to the left.

"Don't untie your sister."

April narrowed her eyes but didn't reply. She was already too tired to do much more than snap.

The tent was closed, but April could still see shadows outside of her tent. As she laid down, she looked over at Alice to make sure she was comfortable and then took off her sister's glasses. It was moments before April's eyes fluttered closed and she was sound asleep.

Meanwhile, Caesar was pacing in his tent. He felt as if he knew the twins from somewhere, they looked familiar to him. What was the name of that despicable fellow? Lee? Martin. That's it. Martin Lee. They look just like him, so that means… No, he thought. They are his children. Stubborn and matter of fact, just as he was. He remembered Martin Lee when he accompanied Joshua Graham to speak to tribals. That traitor! Leaving the Legion behind because he didn't want to raise his children among the Legionaries. How dare he go join the NCR to sign up to be a ranger. What blasphemy.

"Lee, they have to be his children. They look just like him. The resemblance is uncanny. I can see it in their arrogant little brown eyes." Caesar said.

He decided he would question the women about their identities the next day.

Alice woke up in the night a few hours later, feeling very sore and disoriented. She saw her sister April lying across from her, asleep in a fetal position. April never slept in a fetal position unless she was anxious or troubled.

"April, wake up."

"Yeah?" April said, half asleep.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Don't you remember? We're with the Legion now. Look at your ankles and wrists. They had you tied." she replied.

Alice looked down.

"My God, you're right." Alice was appalled.

April nodded, her eyes half open.

"Why haven't you untied me?"

"I can't. There's guards outside. If I do, we're dead."

"Yeah? I'd rather be dead than like this." Alice retorted.

"We won't be like this if we comply, for now."

"Why should we comply?" Alice raised her voice.

"Because, once they trust us, we can break their trust and then leave. That, or organize something that will get rid of the lot of them, or even Caesar himself." April whispered. "Keep your voice down. It's gotten us into so much trouble so many times."

"Sorry." Alice whispered.

"Now go back to sleep." April said. "I'll need my energy tomorrow if we have to fight or argue or anything."

Alice was quiet for a bit.

"April?"

"What?" April was agitated.

"Are you okay?" Alice was concerned.

April sighed. "Of course not. Mom and Dad are gone. So is Nathan. How do you think I feel knowing our family is gone? Knowing that we can't ever play with Nathan anymore or teach him anything useful?"

"I'm sorry for asking. It's just that you were asleep in a fetal position."

"Let's just sleep before I start crying." April said quietly.

Alice reached over for her sister's hand.

"It's just you and me now," she said quietly as she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Morning came rather quickly. The Lee sisters didn't feel exactly refreshed, as they were woken up harshly by a Legion Praetorian guard.

"Get up! Caesar is expecting you."

"How can I get up when I am bound?" Alice asked.

The Praetorian guard cut her loose.

"Come, come now."

The two sisters looked at each other, confused. They followed the man over to Caesar's tent.

Caesar was waiting for them inside, sitting on his bed.

"Thank you, Lucius," the bald man said.

The man named Lucius bowed and then exited the tent.

"Ah, the Lee sisters." he said.

Both women froze.

"How do you know us?" Alice asked.

Caesar grinned. "Let's just say it's a hunch. Does the name Martin Lee mean anything to you ladies?"

Alice and April were stunned. How could Caesar know who their father was?

"How do you know our father?" April asked.

"Oh so he IS your father?" Caesar chortled. "Well, well. What a surprise."

Again the women said nothing.

"I'll tell you how I know your father. I knew him through Joshua Graham, my former Legate. Your father accompanied Graham to do so called missionary work. Though your father wasn't a founding member of the Legion, he was there when we incorporated the Blackfoots and other tribes, but decided to flee afterwards because he didn't want to raise his little family to be apart of the Legion. He was smart for being a man that came out of an idiot tribe, oh how stupid those New Canaanites were. You see, Martin was a close friend of mine, until he decided to go to the NCR to become a ranger. What an idiot, thinking he and his little wife would be safe if he stayed in NCR territory instead of staying with the Legion. Martin should have known it would come back to haunt him later. Look at him now. The fool."

"You're lying!" The sisters cried out.

"I am not, sadly. I wish I was." Caesar said sarcastically.

"Don't speak of our father that way, our father was a good man!"

"He was an idiot." Caesar said simply.

The sisters glared at him.

"And why aren't you wearing your clothing that I had given you?" he asked.

"I don't want to wear it. I won't serve you." April said.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice." Caesar said sternly.

Caesar looked to his Praetorian guards that were standing by and nodded in approval. Four of them grabbed the Lee sisters, two to each sister, and mezzed them with a Mesmetron. Then, the Praetorian guards proceeded to place slave collars on the women. The women didn't even put up a fight, they were overpowered. Before they knew it, the Lee sisters were wearing slave collars and forced to bow to Caesar.

"Alright. Now that that's out of the way, I can get you two to listen to me. What I need for you is to repair our weapons and make new ones, unless you have other hidden skills. I normally do not trust nor tolerate scientists, but for you two, I suppose I could make an exception. We went through your journal, or the one that, Alice was it? Yes. The one that Alice had. We noticed that you had notes on nuclear research in there among other things. And you, what was your name?" Caesar pointed at April.

"April." She said shortly.

"Ah, yes. You're the impressive one. You killed one of my men just by stabbing him with something. What was it? I know it was a syringe, you had it filled with a dark orange liquid. It turned his skin purple and yellow, and it killed him quick. Can you tell me what it was?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said.

"I did it, I made the weapon. And it was an enhanced cazador poison infused with batrachotoxin that I concocted in a lab."

Caesar looked at Alice. "You?" he laughed. You are nothing more than a frail person. I don't even know how we ended up with you. Your sister was the one to fight back with that weapon, not you! Lies."

April shook her head.

"It was Alice who gave it to me right then and there. She had five of them, five syringes with the poison."

"Very well then." Caesar said. "My task for the both of you is to continue making these poison filled syringes. We will need them for another attack. But first, allow me to bring you your first test subjects."

"What? No! We won't test on people! We will test on anything like a deathclaw or radscorpion, just not people!"

"Ah, but no. You will test on these profligates that have I have no use for. I was already going to dispose of them anyways. It's time you get going to the large tent I have set up as your 'lab.' Guards! Take the Lee sisters over to their work tent. Make sure they are working!"

The Lee sisters were pulled out of the tent and then taken over to the "lab." They couldn't help but notice that the entire Legion was watching them walk by.

"Alright, now get to work!" one of the men said. The other man had carried the slave clothes.

"Put these on," the other man said, handing them to the sisters before walking outside.

As soon as the sisters were alone, they looked at what they had. It seemed Caesar had supplied them with everything a scientist in the wastes could ever ask for, even things a repairman would dream of having. There was a workbench in the left corner, and a desk beside it with flasks, beakers, and jars containing multiple elements. Near the workbench were many parts for all sorts of guns, swords and other weapons.

"Well, this is a neat place. Almost like the lab back home," Alice said.

April hit her in the side.

"Ow! What?"

"How is this nice? We're being ordered to create weapons of mass destruction! That isn't nice!" April said.

"Well the setup is."

"My God, you're so selfish, Alice!"

"You think I want to use human sacrifices as test subjects? I'd honestly rather use myself as a sacrifice, to put an end to our misery!"

"Mom, Dad, and Nathan wouldn't want this! Stop talking like that! They'd want us to live!"

"Well then how is this living if we are slaves?"

April dropped her shoulders.

"We need to try, at least. Remember what I said, comply to gain trust, and then make a break for it."

Alice went over and hugged her sister tight.

"Alright, let's do this."

They each grabbed lab coats that were on the desk and put on gloves, masks and hairnets to begin working.

"Okay, so they left us radscorpion poison. How is that going to be lethal?" April asked.

"It doesn't have to be, it just needs to be a venom of some kind for a base. The main ingredient to this super poison is batrachotoxin, which consists of 31 Carbon molecules, 42 Hydrogen molecules, 2 Nitrogen molecules and 6 Oxygen molecules."

"How will you concoct that without killing yourself?" April said in disbelief.

"I've done it before. You just have to be careful when combining molecules. The end result is milky, like that of bufotoxin. Why do you suppose I have a gas mask and dark goggles? Not that my eyes will be damaged. But still."

April shook her head. "Alright. Well, make enough of it, so that Caesar doesn't get on our ass for this shit. I just want to get it done and then hopefully get out of here."

"We'll see." Alice said. "Put on a gas mask and some heavy duty gloves, please."

"I won't need them."

Alice shrugged. "Suit yourself."

April stood there quietly watching Alice for four hours, not falling asleep or losing interest. It kept her mind off of her family and loved ones in Everwood. She made multiple mental notes about everything that Alice was doing, and also observed how Alice seemed to be calm and collected when dealing with elements, never showing any emotional reaction to anything. April secretly wished she could be emotionally stable when doing research and experiments like Alice. It wasn't that she couldn't keep her cool, but sometimes April couldn't keep a neutral attitude when dealing with things such as morals with science.

Though April and Alice were both intelligent scientists, it was Alice who was more careful and better at measurements when working with chemicals, even if she had a habit of rushing her math when explaining physics. April hated dealing with chemicals and elements mainly because she had a shaky hand and miscalculated sometimes with liquid measurements. Alice was more of a chemist, and April was more of a physicist. Even if both were involved in different forms of science, the Lee sisters were nevertheless very serious about their work and took pride in it.

"Done," Alice said, laying out around 70 small filled syringes.

April gasped.

"That's a lot of batrachotoxin! How much is that?"

"Well, it's about seven gallons worth."

"And how much is necessary to kill someone?"

"Oh, not too much. It can kill someone on its own pretty quick, like in fifteen or twenty minutes. But combined with another poison means instantaneous death upon contact. It doesn't have to be injected, just exposed to cuts or openings in skin much like radiation. But injection makes it work so fast, it's like taking candy from children."

"So we won't need syringes."

"For safety purposes we will. For those of us handling it."

"And there is no known antidote?"

"You would have to be on an IV of nothing but antivenom for it to be flushed out."

April shuddered. Just then, Caesar walked in.

"Is my weapon ready?" he asked.

"Yes." Alice said while combining the radscorpion poison with the batrachotoxin and filling the rest of the syringes.

"Good, let's test it!"

The women followed him out, feeling nowhere near enthusiastic.


	3. Chapter 3

Caesar brought the sisters out to where he had a few of the "test subjects" tied up near a fire.

"Alright. Let's give it a try."

The sisters didn't feel up for this but they knew they had no choice. Alice pulled out a syringe and injected it into the nearest person, which was an elderly woman. The woman made a choking sound before turning blue and then

dropping dead. April did the same to a man, who died in less than ten seconds.

"That's not enough! Finish the rest of them off!"

The sisters attended to the rest of the captives, who died instantly upon getting injected.

"Well, it seems you outdid yourselves. Brava."

The Lee sisters felt like crying.

"How many of these have you made today?"

Alice looked up. "Eighty."

"Excellent." Caesar said. "This will be useful for close combat or dealing with people quickly. No need to shoot them and wait for them to bleed to death anymore."

It was almost dusk. The Lee sisters were tired and hungry, for they had not eaten since the morning before.

"Do you think you can start repairing the terribly broken weapons for my men, if you two aren't too busy?" Caesar said.

The sisters nodded.

"Good. Now get going."

For the rest of the week, it continued as follows. The Lee sisters did research on the things brought to them, and also repaired and built weaponry for the Legion's army. Even though Alice was doing all the research and poison making, April was doing all the blacksmith duties, filling in for Alice when she was unable to do them or too busy to remember. The sisters felt their chances of freedom slowly slipping away with each passing day, and didn't discuss much with one another. Then one night, something happened. The Lee sister's collars stopped working.

Caesar was outraged. He wasn't sure why the collars had shut off, as he had terminals that they were linked to. But for some reason, he couldn't get them to turn back on, and those collars on the Lee sisters were the last ones he had. Caesar decided that he wouldn't let them in on the secret, he wanted to act normal, act like nothing happened.

The next morning, he watched the Lee sisters carefully inside their lab. They seemed to be working diligently and emotionlessly, but took no notice of him being there. He left their tent, feeling satisfied. With the way they were acting, they didn't seem to want to rebel or escape. What was there to worry about?

Later one evening, when Alice and April were closing up their "lab," Alice had an immense urge to use the restroom, and ran without a second thought.

"Alice!" April shouted, following after her sister.

But Alice kept going until she went to the place where she dug holes to use. April kept expecting for her's and Alice's collars to explode, as they were getting a bit far from camp, and weren't in close proximity to one another. But when they didn't explode, April became skeptical. She ran over to where Alice was so that she could feel safe.

"Alice," April huffed as she spoke to Alice.

"Yeah?" Alice had just pulled up her pants.

"I think there's something wrong with our collars."

Alice looked at her, concerned.

"So, what do you want to do about it?"

"Make a run for it! But first, I want to take it off. And besides, Caesar took away his guards after the first day."

"What difference does that make?" Alice shrugged.

"Well, who would be awake right now anyways? Not many. And we can use our syringes if needed."

"I don't know, this sounds really risky." Alice said.

"Let's go back to our tent, get our stuff, take these things off, and go!"

"Go where?"

"Oh, I don't know, away from here?"

Alice shook her head.

"Forget it."

April wasn't having any of it. "Come on. You need to stop being so pessimistic. I need your help. If you don't want to leave, fine. I'll leave. But I want you to come."

Alice shook her head and sighed. "Fine. Let's get going."

The sisters sprinted until they got to their tent. They grabbed their backpacks, which had their original clothes and their journals, along with a few personal belongings.

"Who first?" Alice asked, grabbing a bobby pin.

"Here, let me do you. You take too long with picking at things."

April began to fiddle with Alice's slave collar and managed to take it off.

"Now your turn, April."

Alice had a much harder time, as she broke four bobby pins in the process. She managed to get it off of April nonetheless. Before both sisters set off, April took a quick peek outside.

"Oh no, it's almost dawn!"

Alice's heart sank. But then, she had an idea.

"Quick, let's make a run for it!"

They didn't have time to think. They ran to their left to flee the camp. The noise of their feet was enough to wake up some of the resting frumentarii, who got up and began shooting at them.

"Keep going, don't stop!" April shouted.

The sisters were just about outside of the camp for good when April fell only to hit her head on a rock, and received a bloody bruise on her forehead.

"April!"

April only lifted her head and looked at Alice.

"Go." She said. "I'll find you later."

Alice's eyes welled up as she kissed her sister's hand quickly and ran as far as she could.


	4. Chapter 4

Alice kept running, making sure not to look behind her. She continued forth for the next thirty minutes before dropping tired in front of an abandoned Pre War House. Before walking into the house, she checked all the windows and didn't see anyone there and thus let herself in. It was already sunrise, but she didn't want to sleep. No. She just wanted to eat and then continue forth.

Alice found a few bottles of Nuka Cola, along with some Stimpaks and a pack of Rad-Away. The only weapons left in the house were a broken sniper rifle and a .45 auto pistol. I guess it will have to do, she thought. As much as she tried to fight the urge to sleep, she still fell asleep against her will on the couch, but not for very long.

As she woke up, she realized she was still wearing the Legion's slave clothing. It was all sweaty and greasy. She didn't want another reminder of the Legion, she hated them.

"Disgusting piece of filth."

Alice tore off the piece of cloth that was the Legion's clothing and put back on her Vault 11 jumpsuit that was still in her backpack.

"Much better."

She fled the house after waking and continued north, never stopping to drink or eat. This was how she continued for the next three days, never stopping anywhere or replenishing herself. She felt she was fine with it for the most part up until everything became less tolerable and her supplies ran low one day, just as she had entered the Northern Passage.

"I wonder where this leads to," she said.

Before venturing further into the cave, Alice looked back.

"I miss you, April."

Alice wondered where she was. Wherever this place was, it seemed safely far enough away from Caesar, she hoped. She didn't know where the dark path lead, but it seemed this was her only option of escape.

"No turning back now," she said as she entered the darkness. She walked on through cave for a while, using her Pip-Boy light to see and then found herself outside once more.

Alice continued on for about four more hours before tripping and then falling on her face. It proved difficult for her to get up, as she was drained of energy and stuck in the sweltering heat of the Mojave Wasteland. Not a single radscorpion or cazador was in sight, not even a bloatfly. There were barely any horsenettle plants in sight, and maybe one or two Joshua trees. A large wad of tumbleweed passed her by, moving in the wind ever so slowly.

Alice thought she might just die here. What was the point in leaving the Legion camp anyways? Her sister was probably dead by now. Maybe I will die, she thought. No. I cant!

Alice jumped right up and looked behind her. Right then and there about sixty feet away was a Legion scout with a mongrel, aiming a sniper rifle at her. She turned away and kept running, making sure to meander around so that she wouldn't get hit by the scout. Though he was very far away, he nevertheless continued trying to hit her.

"Damn bastard!" she said under her breath.

The scout was getting angrier by the minute as he kept missing. His mistakes were not in shooting, they were made in attempting to shoot while running. Alice was thankful that the scout couldn't hit her because he was trying very hard to catch up with her.

This ensued for another two hours, until Alice swore she finally lost the scout and his dog. The sun was now in the middle of the sky, and Alice swore that she was hallucinating. Alice thought she saw Deathclaws dancing in front of a fire with Brahmin. What in all hell? She wiped her eyes and her vision was gone. Five minutes later, she saw her mother and father walking towards her, with grave faces.

"Alice honey, why did you leave us behind? Why did you leave April?" they asked

A little boy peeked out from behind her parents. It was her younger brother, Nathan, who was twelve when he died.

"Awwice," he said with a strong lisp,"Why? Why weave us? We miss you…"

Alice shook her head. This isn't real, this isn't real, she thought.

"Go away!" she said to the hallucination

"Don't forget about April," her family said, "She needs you.."

"I realize that, thanks!" Alice shouted to the air.

"We may be gone, but April isn't. Save her, please."

"I will!" she shouted. But the hallucination of her family was gone, and she was talking to a cactus.

"I don't know how I will," she said quietly.

Alice trudged on, still bothered by her hallucinations. She knew she had to save April, she didn't want to leave her sister behind. Her sister was her other half, no doubt about it. They were twins, they functioned together. If they were ever apart, even a mile apart, they both often felt empty without each other's company. Already Alice felt as if there was nothing left of her. Soon Alice started seeing shapes in the distance, but felt as if they were a part of another hallucination brought on from the heat. As she got closer, she noticed that the shapes didn't go away, but formed walls of a canyon.

She didn't remember there ever being any canyon walls of any kind, nor green trees for that matter. Alice decided to venture forth into this canyon just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. As she walked further into the canyon, she noticed that there were a lot of green plants and so much life around. She noticed that there were a few dogs and mole rats up on the cliffs, and swore she also saw some Yao Guai. Thankfully for her though, animals never feared her nor attacked her.

While looking at the cliffs, Alice decided she wanted to climb and see what kind of view there was from above, and set forth to climbing until she encountered a bridge that led to an ascending trail.

"My God, a bridge." she said aloud.

So there must be people living here, she thought, as she crossed the bridge.

Once she got to the other side, she noticed that the trail was narrow and over a very steep cliff. She clung to the walls as best as she could but nearly slipped twice. It took her about 30 minutes to walk slowly, until she reached a high cliff that stood over a large blue river. Alice looked down and nearly vomited, as the drop looked far and treacherous.

"Dear God, if I fall from that, I am dead." Alice shuddered, stepping back fifteen feet away from the edge of the cliff.

As Alice was about to sit down, she got shot in the right shoulder.

"Agh!" she cried, clutching her shoulder.

Alice removed her hand from her shoulder and saw blood. She turned around and found the same Legion scout standing about ten feet away, with his mongrel at his feet. His mongrel came over and attacked her, ripping open her Vault 11 jumpsuit and leaving a gash that ran between her breasts as it continued to bite her and scratch at her. She tried to fight it off with her bare hands but found her strength beginning to deplete from loss of blood. The scout came closer, aiming at her head. It was then that Alice decided to make a jump for it into the large river as a last resort for escape.

Alice sprinted as fast as she could, but didn't realize how close the edge of the cliff was. She lost her footing and fell. The last thing that Alice remembered seeing was the stunned face of the Legion scout watching her fall before everything faded to black.


	5. Chapter 5

It was nine thirty in the morning. Joshua Graham was scouting the Zion Canyon wilderness as usual, making sure that he and the Dead Horses were safe from any major threat. So far, no White Legs came to disturb their peace, for that he was thankful for. He was standing on a cliff that was just above the Virgin river. The sun shined upon his head, which was wrapped completely in medical bandages except for around his eyes. From a distance he could see the Dead Horses camp. There was a thin, faint trail of smoke which was most likely from a fire meant for grilling food, which gave away the location of the camp from where he stood.

Joshua turned to his left and looked down at the river. He noticed that there was something floating in it, something large. It looked like a creature of some sort, almost the size of a human. No, it was a person. Joshua climbed down from the cliff to examine the person that was floating. Once he reached the body, he pulled it out of the river and inspected it closely.

"Poor wastelander," he said.

It was an elderly man whose body he had retrieved, and definitely not a tribal. The man hardly had anything on him except tattered clothes and a baseball bat. It seemed he died from his limbs being ripped off, as he didn't have any arms or legs. Joshua decided to bury him and say a prayer.

It took Joshua twenty five minutes to dig a hole with his hands, as he didn't have a shovel. He dug the hole a few feet away from the river and closer to a rock wall. Once he finished the hole, he placed the man's body into it and proceeded to bury him. Right then, he decided he would say a prayer.

"I may not have known your name, but I can only hope you are now in a better place than you were when you lived in this cruel and harsh wasteland of a world. You are now in the hands of God. May you rest peacefully."

It was already getting close to noon. Joshua decided it would be a good idea to head back to camp to get a bite to eat. He began walking along the river in the direction of the camp, taking time to enjoy the beauty of the canyon. It was a rather lovely day, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing nicely, and there was plenty of green trees and plants teeming with life. He saw a few wild dogs among other creatures as he headed back that were just minding their business and paying him no mind. Although he loved the sun, he enjoyed the rain more. It relaxed him, and even though it made his wrappings rather soggy, it nonetheless soothed his itchy skin and made him feel calm.

As Joshua was walking along, he noticed that the sun began to disappear. He looked up and noticed that something was looming over him, and it wasn't a cloud. It was something large that fell from a nearby cliff, and as it fell closer to him, he decided to catch it. The large object hit his chest hard and threw him into the river, but he managed to grip onto it tightly. Another body, he thought to himself, as he felt arms and legs hit at him and a large mass in his arms, including something dangling. He got up out of the water and realized he caught a woman in his arms, with a backpack hanging off her arm. The moment Joshua looked at her, he felt immense sorrow and pity for her. She was a young and beautiful woman who had porcelain skin, long black wavy hair with blunt bangs, big red lips and perfectly arched eyebrows.

Joshua checked her pulse to see if she was dead. He was thankful to detect a heartbeat. The woman looked rugged, as her face was scratched up and a bit raw near her right cheekbone. Her blue vault jumpsuit was dirty and torn at the right shoulder, where there was a large bloodstain. It seemed she also had a Pip Boy 3000 on her left hand. She was still bleeding from what looked like a bullet wound. The black glasses the woman wore also had a cracked lense. Joshua decided to take her back to camp to help her heal. He wanted to know more and to see what exactly happened to her.

It took Joshua about thirty minutes to walk back to camp. He greeted the Dead Horses swiftly before walking over to his bed and placed the woman onto it, moving her backpack to the side and removing her glasses from her face. Joshua decided to undress her quickly to better examine her wounds and removed everything down to her undergarments. No doubt about it the woman had an amazingly toned and muscled body. But what surprised him more was the deep gash and the bloody gunshot wound that seemed pretty fresh. How did she get the gash across her chest? An animal encounter perhaps? Joshua wasn't sure.

She had bruises in places such as her knees and her hips as well. He noticed that the gash went down diagonally between her breasts and stopped a few inches above her navel but was also wide and raw. Joshua immediately went to the water that was near the camp and filled his canteen with it. Once he came back, Joshua immediately washed out the gash and applied bandages to it. He decided it would be best to wrap her entire body in case of anything else.

Joshua turned the woman over and saw that there were no other serious wounds but that her skin was red where the bullet pierced her skin. It must have been a .308 round, he thought, as he grabbed some tweezers from his pocket to poke through the wound to see if he could find the bullet. Joshua knew it wasn't there when he dug further into the woman's skin and only felt the other open end of the wound. He grabbed a few small towels that were in a stack by his feet to dry her off.

"She's lost so much blood," Joshua said, as he was wiping her back off.

Already the woman was paler than paper. He knew he needed to give her a blood transfusion before she died. Joshua walked over to a First Aid box and pulled out a Stimpak, six empty syringes, and two blood packs. He filled each syringe with the blood from the blood packs, walked back to the woman and proceeded to find a vein on her neck before quickly injecting all six. Then, he heavily bandaged her bullet wound before injecting the Stimpak on top of her right shoulder. Within seconds, the woman regained some color to her skin and the wound nearly healed closed. Joshua grabbed two more blood packs and injected them in the same vein he did on her neck before wrapping her entire torso, including her shoulders. The woman didn't stir through any of it.

"Oh no, the bedding is ruined."

Joshua picked the woman up and placed her on one of the men's' beds so that he could go sanitize his own. Once he set her down, he grabbed a blanket that was folded near his feet and draped it over the woman. After that was settled, Joshua briskly walked back to his own bedding to get his sheets cleaned. He ripped them off as they were now very bloody and took them to the small river to wash them out with a sponge and Abraxo Cleaner in hand. Joshua relentlessly scrubbed them out as best as he could, or until he saw the red fade into a light brown. He noticed that the river turned a deeper red each time he wrung his sheets. Finally, he hung them across the branch of a nearby small tree to dry.

He walked over to check on the woman every five minutes, and would take her pulse and temperature. When he wasn't checking up on her, he would go over to his workbench that was inside Angel cave to make sure each pistol was functioning properly. Already he felt as if he was losing his mind, as he began to overthink things. The White Legs, Caesar, food, the weapons, the tribals, this woman's health, it was all a bit unsettling to him. No, he thought, I need to stop worrying, I'm okay. He walked back over to his bed and noticed he left the woman's vault suit and shoes there.

"I completely forgot about that!"

He moved the clothes over to the side so that he could wash them later.

Joshua set out some of his small towels on the mattress so that it could dry and then walked back to the cave to go find supplies for a makeshift bed for the woman to sleep in. After finding a bighorner hide, leather strips, and some dried grass in the camp's storage pots, Joshua took it over to his bed and set it on the ground. He folded the hide in half to make a twin sized bed and then stuffed it with all the dried grass he found before closing it up with the leather strips, stitching them in tightly. Feeling satisfied, he set it a few feet away from his own bed. Joshua walked over to where he set the woman to check up on her one last time. It was already close to night time, and most of the Dead Horses were falling asleep. He moved quietly so as not to disturb anyone, picking her up slowly and then stepping lightly until he was near his bed. Once there, he set her down gently before looking for a matchbox. As it was dark, Joshua lit a lantern, making sure to be careful with the flame.

Ever since he was made an example of, Joshua was apprehensive around fire. It made him uneasy at times when he was handling it directly. He placed the lantern by his bed and then stood up. Joshua realized he hadn't eaten since early this morning, and decided to see if there was any bighorner meat left. Lucky for him, there was some leftover steaks in one of the storage pots inside the cave, so he grabbed it and ate it ravenously, not caring if he was making a mess. Once he finished his meal, he went back outside to grab the woman's clothes and examined them. Joshua noticed that there was a hole in the shoulder, where the bloodstain began. So that was where the bullet penetrated her skin, he thought. He took them over to his workbench inside the cave and then looked for a needle and some thread. Joshua found both in another storage pot and began to mend the holes left behind from the bullet wound. Once that was finished, he set the jumpsuit onto his bench and walked back out to the camp to sit by the woman, touching her head carefully to make sure she didn't have any fractures or breaks in her skull.

Just then, Daniel walked over.

"Joshua, there's something I need to talk to you about, has to do with Waking Cloud. I don't know how to- Wait. Who is that?" He pointed at the woman in the bed.

Joshua looked up.

"I found her today by the Virgin river. She fell from a cliff, so I proceeded to catch her. I don't know who she is."

"Do you think she's with Caesar or the White Legs?"

I doubt it. She would've already tried to kill us if she were a mercenary. Then again, I found her unconscious. Take a look at her, Daniel. She was wearing a Vault 11 jumpsuit and had a backpack on her."

"Well, we should at least make sure. What if we wake up and she tries to poison us or make contact with the outside world? The Legion?"

"Caesar never found use for women, why would he send her? She's not a frumentarius. You're too worked up, Daniel. Relax. Go get her backpack, I left it by my bed."

"Alright."

Daniel walked over to Joshua's bed and picked up the backpack, which was a medium sized black bag with two straps, and was a bit heavy. He brought it back to Joshua and set it down.

"Alright, let's have a look."

They pulled out the contents of the bag slowly. First, there was some shirts, some shorts, feminine undergarments (At which Joshua and Daniel hurriedly set aside), a .45 auto pistol, six bottles of Nuka Cola, a bag that seemed heavily filled with bottlecaps, 6 Stimpaks, one bag of Rad-Away, binoculars and a thick black book with the name Alice E. Lee-Covarrubias embossed in silver letters across the cover.

"What kind of name is this?" Daniel asked.

"Lee-Covarrubias? Sounds Spanish to me. Hand me the book, Daniel."

Daniel passed the book over to Joshua, who opened it quickly. After browsing, he found he couldn't understand it, as most of it was written in a language unfamiliar to him. It looked very similar to Latin, but he didn't have a clue of what it said.

"Finally, a page with English in it," he said after five pages.

Joshua flipped through the rest and noticed it was just notes written in thick and semi messy penmanship. Accompanying these notes were well drawn pictures. It was then that Joshua realized this was a field journal of some sort.

"Well? Anything in this book that can help us figure out this woman's identity?"

"Not really. She has notes in here about plants, animals, weapons and toxins. It says next to nothing about her, just things she finds interesting. I'm assuming she is a researcher."

"Well, we'll ask her when she wakes up, right?"

"Indeed."

Both looked at the woman, who was still unconscious. Joshua pressed two fingers to her neck to check her pulse. It was a bit faster, but not by much. At least she was cleaned up now.

"Daniel, where are her glasses?"

"Pardon?"

"There should be glasses in the same area where I set the bag. Bring them to me."

Daniel went over to get the glasses and came back rather quick.

"Here," he said.

"Thank you."

"So what do you need them for?"

"I don't need them for anything. They're hers. Except, they're broken."

"I see."

"Should we head out to the nearby Pre War buildings to see if we can find a replacement lense?"

"I don't see why not." Daniel said.

"We'll do it tomorrow. I'm too tired to go now."

Joshua stood up.

"It's getting late, Daniel. We must rest."

"Right. Good night, Joshua."

Daniel walked off to his bed. Joshua crouched down and took the woman's temperature once more. She was as fine as she ever was, but then again, he was being paranoid. The poor woman looked so small, so helpless. He wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to her, and so pulled his bed closer to hers by a foot and a half. As he was falling asleep, Joshua pulled out his pistol and put it under his pillow, ready for if anything or anyone was going to harm this innocent woman.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Joshua got up and changed the woman's bandages, making sure to wash out the gashes in the process. He injected another Stimpak into her gunshot wound, which was just about healed close, and again checked her pulse. It was steady, but slow. The woman recovered rather quickly, but must have not had enough energy to awaken. Her gashes were still a bit raw, but they seemed to have shrunk overnight. He had a feeling she wouldn't be awake for another day or so.

"Oh no, I almost forgot to change my bandages."

Joshua walked over to Angel cave and took off his current bandages. The moment he exposed himself to the air, he felt immense pain. It was similar to the pain he had endured four years ago, when Caesar had him coated in pitch and lit on fire for the loss at the Battle of Hoover Dam. He moved quickly so that the pain wouldn't last as long, but even so it hurt him immensely.

Joshua sighed as he finally finished wrapping the last of the fresh bandages, which were around his head. He disposed of the old bandages into a pot, where he would take the contents and burn them later. After taking care of that, he walked over to his workbench and sat down. It was a bit dark, so he lit a lantern that had the cave illuminated within seconds.

Joshua worked at his bench for at least an hour before he went to search for Daniel.

"Daniel, shall we go?"

"Yes."

"To the General Store?"

"I don't see why not."

Daniel and Joshua walked away from the Dead Horses camp and followed the Virgin river until they got to the Zion General Store. It was an abandoned Pre-War store that stood near the river and was against a rock wall. Joshua walked inside of the store and looked around, Daniel following him in.

"What are we looking for again?"

"Glasses."

"But aren't hers a different prescription?"

"Most people nowadays use the same kind of prescription, Daniel. If they need a different one, they'll have to search for other glasses across the wasteland. Hopefully these work. I'll replace both of her lenses just in case."

"Why not just give her these and throw out her own?"

Daniel held out red rimmed glasses with clear lenses.

"She might not feel comfortable with new ones."

"If you say so."

"Just take them anyways. We don't need anything else here."

Both men walked out of the general store and then ran into two White Legs. Joshua grabbed his pistol that was in its holster and pulled it out, ready to fight.

"Die where you stand!" Joshua said as he aimed at one of the White Legs' heads.

The two White Legs tried to shoot at Joshua and Daniel with their submachine guns, but weren't fast enough to react. Both fell within minutes after gunshots to the head.

"Good riddance." Daniel said.

"Let's head back. We have to check up on the Sorrows too."

"About that," Daniel said.

Joshua cocked his head.

"What is it, Daniel?"

"There is an issue I have regarding Waking Cloud. You see, I don't know how I will be able to tell her that her husband is dead."

"I see. And her children?"

"They're alive." Daniel replied.

"Well when you see her, I suggest you tell her the truth."

"I'll try. I just don't want to hurt her feelings or anything, as I'll be the bearer of bad news and all."

"Better to tell the truth than to lie to her." Joshua said.

"Alright."

Both walked along with their weapons still out, carefully looking around at each rock and tree, making sure there weren't any other White Legs lurking about.

"Argh!"

Joshua accidentally stepped into a bear trap that he had hidden earlier in the water.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I just didn't see where I was going."

"Is your foot okay?"

Joshua shrugged Daniel off.

"Yes, yes. I'll be fine, Daniel. There's nothing that cool water on your feet won't fix."

"Alright, Joshua."

It was almost noon. The sun was set in the middle of the sky, which did not bear any clouds. How strange, Joshua thought, it's not raining as frequently. Joshua and Daniel continued along the Virgin river for another half hour until they got back to the Dead Horses camp.

"The woman!" Joshua gasped as he ran over near his bed.

It seemed that the woman was still unconscious, but today she had color to her skin. Joshua could see a healthy pink glow in her skin, unlike the pallid tone she had when she was bleeding to death not too long ago. He touched her neck to get her pulse and thankfully found it to be normal.

"Do you think she is fully recovered?" Daniel asked.

"I can't say. Her pulse is normal. For all I know, she is just sleeping peacefully right now."

"When do you think she will awaken?"

"I'm not sure." Joshua said, as he took off her blanket and checked her gunshot wound. It was now healed closed and the scar that was left behind was a soft pink color. He wasn't sure if she healed fast because of the use of Stimpaks or anything else, but Joshua was glad the woman looked better.

"Well, I'm heading out to the Sorrows' camp, Joshua."

"Alright. Do be careful."

Joshua pulled out his bible, which was under his pillow and began reading. For some reason, every time he read the bible he felt comforted. It temporarily took away the trauma he felt from he was made an example of four years ago. He could still see it, even when he closed his eyes. The fire, the flames, the unforgiving heat as it charred his flesh and seared into his skin. Joshua vividly remembered when Caesar, his most trusted companion, coldly ordered his men to tie him up and did nothing when he cried out in pain and begged for forgiveness.

"No!"

Joshua shuddered and shut his bible.

Just then, he felt immense wrath building up inside. It made him want to tear flesh apart so that he could restore his wounded vanity. No, he thought, I'm not like that. But deep down, Joshua still harbored a dark and aggressive hunger for violence and revenge. He knew that even in combat, he was far from showing any mercy to anyone who tried to harm him or the people he cared about. That was what had made him a fearful and influential warlord to the Dead Horses.

Joshua laid back and closed his eyes, not wanting to think or feel anything. He just wanted to have some sort of peace of mind. Already he knew he wouldn't ever have peace in his heart, but he nevertheless still tried. As much as he wanted to slaughter Caesar and his devout followers, he knew that if he did so mercilessly that he would spend eternity burning in hell. He was the Burned Man for crying out loud, why should he burn more? Besides, he wanted to be redeemed by God's grace.

Since laying down on the ground proved too brittle and uncomfortable for Joshua, he got up and walked over to the cave to get the woman's clothes. He had forgotten to wash them the previous day, and grabbed the Abraxo cleaner he had left on his workbench by the clothes and then walked back outside towards the river. The stains were still a dark brown, so he covered them in Abraxo until they were white and powdery and began to scrub them harshly. Joshua scrubbed out the vault suit until it was completely clean, and then wrung it after he was finished rinsing it out. He walked away from the river and hung it on the same branch where he had left his sheets. So he grabbed his sheets, which were now dry, and then walked over to his bed so that he could begin putting them on.

Joshua looked over at the woman who was opposite him. She seemed to still be unconscious, but at least he could hear her breathing normally. He wondered what kind of a person she was. Would she be another pompous and stupidly inexperienced city oriented scientist like the many that had wandered into Zion Canyon? Or was she here on some sort of mission to try to establish a new settlement? Joshua decided he would think about it tomorrow, or whenever the woman woke up. He had many questions for her. Once he finished neatly tucking in his sheets, he plopped down onto his back and placed his hands behind his head. As he lay there, Joshua's eyelids fluttered closed and soon he fell into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Alice woke up with a start. She wasn't sure where she was, all she knew was that it was blurry and her right shoulder hurt immensely. A movement out of the corner of her eye startled her.

"Ah, you're finally awake."

A deep, alluring, and raspy voice made her jump. She looked around but only felt hands take hold of her shoulders. She hit the hands away and moved back.

"Who are you?" she said.

She felt completely vulnerable. Alice barely had any clothes on and no energy to fight back. She could feel her face heat up in embarrassment for being so exposed.

"Do not fear me. I mean you no harm. My name is Joshua Graham."

The name was not familiar to her in any way. She was still unsure of this person.

"Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Graham. I'm Alice Lee-"

"Covarrubias. Yes, I know."

Alice looked at him, stunned.

"And how would you know that?" she asked.

"Your journal had your name on it."

"Why did you touch my journal?" Alice felt herself getting upset.

"I only looked at it to try to find some form of identification. You're obviously not a White Leg, but I had to check to make sure you weren't with the Legion."

"Oh. I see."

She took a closer look at this Joshua Graham, or at least as best as she could. All she managed to see was a white and black silhouette. Alice realized she didn't have her glasses and panicked.

"My glasses. Where are they?" she demanded.

Joshua pulled them out from one of his vest pockets.

"Here. I had to replace your lenses as one of them was severely cracked, so I switched out both instead. I don't know if this is the same type of lense you normally use, but it's the best I could do, given the amount of glasses I was able to find."

Alice took them from his hands and put them on. Her vision instantly became clear.

"Wow, this is better than what I used to have!" she exclaimed.

"I'm glad." Joshua said.

"Thank you, Mr. Graham."

"You're welcome. And please, call me Joshua. I'm not that old."

"Right. Sorry, Joshua…"

She turned to her right to look at him and was taken aback. Why was he wrapped head to toe in medical bandages? Alice noticed he also wore a crisp white shirt that had tribal markings on the sides of the shoulders and a black armored vest. He looked like someone you didn't want to mess with or upset. The only thing she could see of his face was his eyes, which were an intense gray blue that seemed clouded with darkness and haunted by ghosts of some painful past that he must have endured.

Joshua looked intently into her own eyes and noticed that they were a soft, warm chocolate brown color. Even though the woman was being apprehensive with him, he saw kindness and understanding lurking in her eyes as he noticed her looking at him.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, how did you end up here in Zion Canyon?"

Alice looked at him, puzzled.

"I honestly don't remember," she said.

"Hmm. Were you looking to seek new land? A place to visit or vacation? Escaping from something?"

"Ah. I. Escaping, yes. That's it. I think."

"What was it you wished to escape?"

"I, I'd rather not speak of it right now, actually."

"Well, that's quite alright. Perhaps another time. Does it upset you?"

"Yes, very much so."

Joshua nodded.

"So this is Zion Canyon?" she asked him.

"Yes. Where we are at this moment is the Dead Horses camp. Now I don't know if you're aware, but the Dead Horses are a tribe, and this is their home as it is the home of other tribes."

"Oh, no, I'm aware of that. White Legs and Sorrows live here too, correct?"

"Yes, but also me and Daniel. We're New Canaanites."

"But I thought New Canaanites lived by the Great Salt Lake."

"They once did, but not anymore. Do tell me how you know about the inhabitants of this land."

"Oh, I know these things because my father told me about them. He was alive when the Legion was established, and actually originated from New Canaan."

"So are you indeed a tribal?"

"No, I'm not a full tribal. My mother was a Mexican. She was from a group of Vault 11 descendants who had settled in and around Freeside. That's why I wear this. It was my abuelita's when she was my age, passed down to my mother, then to me. She was the last of the Vault 11 inhabitants to have lived in the vault before they escaped."

"And that is why you have the surname Covarrubias."

"Correction: Lee-Covarrubias. Spanish way of naming. You carry the surnames of your parents until you marry. That is when things would change. Take for example if say, I married you. Not that I ever will or anything. But if I got married to you, my name would then change from Lee-Covarrubias to Lee de Graham. However, Graham is definitely not a Spanish name, but I just had to set an example for you to understand. My mother was initially Imelda Victoria Covarrubias Solorzano, but when she married my father, she became Imelda Victoria Covarrubias de Lee."

"I've heard of the Spanish naming method before. It's interesting. So your full name is what now?'

"I go by Alice, but my full name is Alicia Elena Victoria Desdémona Lee-Covarrubias. I add the hyphen in my name so that people know that I use both, instead of having to choose one over the other. I just simply can't."

"That is a long name."

"My sister's name is just as long. It's April Celeste Margarita Imelda Lee-Covarrubias."

"Wow."

"Indeed."

Alice looked at him skeptically. She didn't exactly want to trust him just yet.

"How did I end up here?"

"You fell from a cliff, and I caught you. I believe you were already unconscious when I found you."

Alice's eyes widened in shock.

"That explains so much," she said quietly.

"What's that?" Joshua asked.

"Oh, ah. Nothing."

"Are you hungry?" he asked her.

"No, but I suppose eating may do me some good."

As Alice was getting up from the bed, the bandages around her body slipped off, and soon she was topless. She too tipped over out of sheer embarrassment.

"Gah!"

"Be careful now!" Joshua said as he caught her fall.

Alice was blushing furiously, her skin full of goosebumps.

"Ah, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Joshua gasped when he laid eyes on her.

"Oh no, are you alright?" Joshua said, rubbing her arms and shoulders where the goosebumps were.

Alice giggled, as he was tickling her.

"Oh, no. Those are goosebumps. I was rather embarrassed at well, inadvertently exposing myself."

"Ah, thank goodness."

Joshua relaxed a little.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked.

"Ah, yes. They should be dry by now. I left them in the cave where my workbench is. They were torn through the shoulder when I found you, so I patched them up nicely."

"The shoulder?"

"Yes. You had a gunshot wound from a sniper rifle and survived. I don't know how, but you did."

"So that's why my shoulder hurts. I remember now, a Legion scout was trying to kill me."

"A Legion what?" Joshua said.

"Scout, I believe. He had a dog with him too."

"You poor, poor thing. Well, now that you're here, the Legion can't touch you."

Alice looked at him, puzzled.

"Why did you do it? Why did you save me?"

Joshua met her eyes.

"I suppose God wouldn't have it any other way."

"Heh, God. I haven't believed in one for years."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. If God is supposed to heal all, why did my grandmother have to die such a painful death from illness?"

"Well, we're human. We are born, we live, we die."

"I know that. But she didn't have to die like that."

"So you've been frustrated since?"

"Yes. I stopped going to Mass afterwards. It pissed me off how blindly people would read things in unison for an hour straight and then later not live by the teachings they claimed to have practiced constantly."

"Oh, so you're Catholic?"

"Was. Not anymore. Ever since I began scientific pursuits, I have had to cast aside all of that. I didn't need it interfering with the reality of the earth and of life, especially the elements and chemical compounds."

"I suppose it shouldn't surprise me if you don't believe. There are many who don't know what to believe in, especially in this cruel and unforgiving world."

She stared at him blankly.

"I am afraid we best get a bite to eat." he said.

"Alright."

Joshua glanced at her sideways.

"How old are you?" he asked her

"Me? Well now, I was born October 9th of 2248. I should be 33."

"No! You look awfully younger than that!"

"Oh. Thank you?"

Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Did you ever live outdoors?"

"No. I was often cooped up in a cellar."

"Ah. That explains the pallidity of your skin."

Alice narrowed her eyes.

"Come with me if you wish to be dressed."

Alice got up and covered herself with the blanket that was near her. Joshua grabbed hold of her shoulders from behind.

"Take it slow now, Alice. I don't want you collapsing on me."

"I'll be fine, thanks."

She shook his arms off.

"Suit yourself. Now follow me."

Joshua led Alice over to Angel Cave so that he could hand her the clothes she had worn, which were now freshly cleaned.

"Here."

"Thank you."

Alice looked at Joshua and nodded for about five minutes straight, waiting for him to look away.

"Uh, can you turn around please?" she asked awkwardly.

"Pardon?"

"I need to get dressed."

"As much as I would like to grant you your privacy, I feel it best that I am here so that you don't fall or injure yourself."

Oh God, she thought, turning red.

"I'll be fine, thanks."

"You might end up falling over."

"Fine."

She stood there for a few seconds, looking around for her bra.

"Joshua, I, uh,"

"Yes?"

"I need my bra."

Joshua went quiet.

"Right. Let me get that. I left it by your backpack."

Joshua went over to the left corner of the cave and grabbed Alice's bra and her backpack. He held the bra away from him, as it made him feel uncomfortable.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

Alice turned away from Joshua so that her back was to him. She then dropped the blanket and began to put on the bra, but couldn't seem to close it from behind.

"Do you need help?"

Alice turned her head around.

"Oh, ah, um. No. I mean, yes. Please."

Joshua grabbed the bra from her hands and clasped it closed.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome."

Alice hurriedly pulled on her vault suit but accidentally put it on backwards.

"Fuck! The zipper is behind me."

"Here, let me help you."

"Ah, no. I will get it.."

But Alice fell backwards. Joshua caught her before she hit the floor.

"Careful! See, this is why I offered to help you."

"Alright, fine. Help me out here."

She turned around to face him, making sure not to make direct eye contact with him. Joshua grabbed the jumpsuit and then put it on the ground so that she could put her feet in the leg holes. As he pulled the suit up, he examined her from foot to face to check for other injuries, then met her eyes. Alice noticed him looking at her and reluctantly made eye contact with him. She then realized she felt self conscious under Joshua's gaze. He looked at her with interest, something she had never experienced with other people. Alice always remembered being looked at dismissively.

Joshua zipped her up and clasped her belt closed around her waist.

"There."

"Thank you."

She couldn't place it, but Alice swore that there was something about him that she thought was very kind, and thus smiled to herself.

"How do you feel, Alice?"

"I'm alright, thanks."

"Good."

Alice turned away, wishing to not face the man. Joshua looked at her, utterly baffled by her personality and the way she treated him. Perhaps in time she would feel less awkward about her surroundings.

"Well, come on. Let's eat."

Both promptly walked towards the entrance of the cave and exited out into the dusky outdoors.

Once outside of the cave, Alice slowed her pace near Joshua, making sure not to bump into him. He looked at her, confused. They both walked over to a fire, where there was some bighorner steaks cooking on a spit.

"Come, let us sit by the fire."

He sat a good three feet away from the fire and patted the spot next to him in the dirt for Alice to join him. Alice made sure to sit a good three feet away from him and the fire.

"Why are you all the way over there? Do you expect me to shout at you when I am addressing you?" Joshua said. "Come closer."

Alice moved closer by a foot.

"Oh, come now. I won't bite."

She moved about six inches closer and would not allow herself any nearer.

"That's better. Now I won't have to yell."

"I can hear fine, thank you very much." Alice said, annoyed.

"Now, now. What is with the hostility? There is no need for that."

"I'm sorry, I guess I'm really hungry is all. I get irritable if I don't eat."

"Very well then."

Joshua stood up to grab a bighorner steak and handed it to Alice.

"What? No plates?" she asked

"No, not here. Remember that this isn't a town. This is an encampment with tribals. Here we don't eat with forks and plates. We eat with our hands."

"And what about cleaning up? Napkins?"

"I use small towels that we save for medical purposes, sometimes."

Alice looked down at her steak, utterly baffled.

"How barbaric."

Joshua sighed, annoyed.

"Well, it will have to do for tonight."

"Do you think you can take me back to the Mojave tomorrow?"

Joshua looked at her as if she was high strung on Jet.

"Are you kidding? I can't leave this place. If I do, it will be overrun with White Legs, and soon the Sorrows and Dead Horses will be no more. Zion will be lost to me and the others forever."

"So do you expect me to stick around?" Alice was getting angry.

"I expect you can make it out here alive after a few days of staying here. Unless of course you wish to stay with us."

Alice sighed.

"I'll stay. I have nowhere else to go."

"Alright. That's fine with me." Joshua said.

Alice looked at him and then down at her steak. She took a bite out of it and chewed on the meat silently. Joshua watched her, not really sure of her intentions, then proceeded to grab a steak for himself. Once he sat down, he adjusted the bandages over his lips and then took a bite to eat. Alice looked over at him, watching him curiously. Joshua turned towards her, confused.

"Does watching me eat amuse you?" he asked her.

Alice didn't answer. Joshua went back to eating his steak.

"Joshua, is it okay if I ask you some personal questions?"

He stopped eating his steak and sat there quietly before speaking again.

"It's not something that I enjoy, but I pray to God that someone may learn from my mistakes. What would you like to know?"

"Oh, nothing too invasive. I'm just curious as to how you aren't bleeding."

"Pardon?"

"The way you're wrapped in bandages looks pretty serious."

"What makes you think I would be bleeding?"

"Well, you're completely covered head to toe. Either you're bleeding or you have third degree burn scars."

Joshua paused his eating the moment she mentioned burn scars.

"You know, you're right about that. It is burn scars. And just so you know, they happen to be all over my body."

Alice's mouth was agape.

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright."

"How bad are they? Do they hurt? Have you had any other sort of damage dealt? What sort of ointment do you use?"

"Hold on with the questions, woman. You make it seem as if you were a doctor."

Alice went silent.

"That's because I am one."

Joshua stared at her in disbelief.

"At 33? Are you serious?"

Alice nodded.

"I figured you were a scientist, but a doctor?"

"Yes. I was the primary doctor back in the settlement I once lived. After our primary doctor died, I took over for him. I thankfully didn't have too much to do, except in instances when we had a few unconscious travelers where I had to perform open surgeries or amputations. Thankfully I was able to save a good number of legs and arms, I only did one amputation, and that was of a highly irradiated foot. My research significantly slowed down by 50% after I became the primary doctor, but I nevertheless did my research late at night. I never was one to sleep, let alone to sleep soundly."

"How long have you been a doctor?"

Alice pushed up her glasses matter of factly.

"Since I was 17. I completed my training rather early and was lucky to be under the tutelage of a doctor from the Followers of the Apocalypse named Julie Farkas, who was also a medical student. She had just completed her training and was seeking a tutee. I studied with her for four years in Freeside at the Old Mormon Fort. She taught me how to deal with a number of cases, from small injuries such as bruises to more difficult things such as amputations, fresh burns, and internal bleeding. I owe a lot to her, since she was the one who helped me become skilled in the medical field. Already I was a skilled chemist at ten years old. I wanted to expand upon scientific pursuits, as I was already a budding biologist from when I was learning about different animal species as a child around the age of five. As of late, I have been studying immunology, and experimenting with creating antibodies immune to cazador venom."

Joshua was taken aback. This was no average 33 year old scientist. She was more of a genius than anything if she knew that much.

"You surprise me so, for someone so young."

Alice shrugged.

"There is something I often tell no one, and that is that I am a terrible mathematician. My sister was a better mathematician than I was, but I was always the better writer since my grammar was infinitely more refined than hers. She was more of a physicist than a chemically research based scientist."

"Your sister was also a scientist?"

"Yes. My twin sister April."

"Does that run in your family?"

"I don't know. Our mother was a nuclear scientist. As for our father, well, he loved animals and the arts. Maybe it does, or maybe her love for science rubbed off on us in different forms. I know for a fact that my love for animals and the arts rubbed off from my father onto me, as my sister April doesn't like animals and can't sing in tune to a song."

"You also sing?"

"Ah, yes. In tune, but not with enough of bel canto. But enough about me."

Alice stopped talking.

"Well, you're quite impressive. I'll give you that. So if you're a doctor, you'd be able to perform surgeries and take care of others? Even make medicine and construct chems?"

"Correct."

"Is there anything you can do for burn victims such as myself?"

"I believe so. You most likely would need an aloe based drug or lidocaine-dermoplast based hybrid drugs. It depends on the severity of the burn. If you don't mind, can I take a look?"

"In a moment. I'd like to eat if you don't mind."

"Ah, no. Understandable. I think I should eat also."

They both sat there, eating their steaks slowly.

"I do wish I had some spices to add more flavor to the meat."

Joshua nodded in agreement.

"That would be nice. I haven't had flavored meat in a long time." he said.

"Neither have I."

Joshua wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up. Alice stuffed the last bit of her steak into her mouth and swallowed it whole.

"Careful, you might choke."

"I'm fine, thank you."

She stood up, looking at him expectantly.

"So when can I see your scars?" she asked.

"Now, if you'd like. It's getting late, and I have to change my bandages out tonight. Follow me."

Joshua led her back inside Angel cave and then stopped over at his workbench, where he had a First Aid Kit that had an abundant supply of bandages. He lit the lantern that was on his bench and soon the cavern was aglow with a flickering candlelight.

"Alright, give me a moment to undress myself. Please look the other way."

Alice turned around to give Joshua privacy. Once she turned away, Joshua unbuttoned his vest and shirt before carefully unravelling his head. He made sure to unwrap slowly, but even so, exposing his skin to the fresh air was excruciating. It brought back the same pain he experienced four years ago when Caesar cast him aflame into the depths of the Grand Canyon. With his chest exposed, he took to unwrapping his arms.

"Alright, I hope the sight of my body and face won't frighten you. Are you ready to look?"

"Yes." Alice replied.

Alice turned around to face Joshua and her eyes widened the moment she laid eyes on him. She took a few steps back, her hands held to her face in astonishment. Joshua felt immensely self conscious under her gaze.

"Painful to look at?" he said quietly.

Alice remained wordless for a few moments, then spoke.

"Yes, and no. Then again, I don't believe looks have ever mattered to me for whenever I came across men." she blurted.

"What do you like in men if you don't mind my asking?"

Alice began to nervously scratch at the back of her head.

"I don't know, I've never been interested in men. I suppose their personalities or intelligence? I'm not good with these things, you know. I've never cared."

"I see." he said.

Alice ran her eyes over every inch of his chest and arms but saved his face for last. She saw that despite his scarring, he was a very muscular and lean man, and nicely built. When she looked up at his face, she gasped.

"It's ugly, isn't it?" Joshua said, feeling ashamed.

Alice didn't stop staring even though her mouth was agape. Joshua began to get irritated. He hated being stared at.

"Why are you staring? Is there something on my face?" he said darkly.

Alice looked down, trying to hide her feelings of pity. She pushed up her glasses and looked up while trying to maintain a neutral expression.

"Answer me."

"Alright, yes. Your face is something to behold. Are you happy now?"

She looked him square in the eye.

"Do you think you can help me or not?"

"It's not a matter of if I can't or cannot. No. I just need to find supplies to create a soothing ointment of some sort. Now do wrap yourself. Your eyes convey to me that the air hurts you immensely."

Joshua reached over for the bandages and began wrapping himself, but Alice moved over to help him out.

"I can do this on my own, thank you," he said to her.

"Let me help. The faster we get this done, the less it will have to hurt."

Joshua sighed, but his expression softened. Alice made sure to not pull too tight on the bandages on his arms and chest. The moment she got to wrapping his head she blushed a bit as she wasn't used to being close to people, much less used to being five inches away from a man's face. Joshua watched her intently and smiled at her to ease the situation. She met his eyes with timidness as she placed a hand to his cheek to move his head about while she wrapped around his neck with the other hand. As soon as she finished, she tore off the bandage from the roll and then patted the edge under his chin so that it would stay.

"Thank you," he smiled at her.

Alice nodded.

"And your clothes, Mr. Graham?"

"Please, call me Joshua. And don't worry, they're right here. I'll put them on by myself."

Joshua grabbed his shirt that was strewn across his workbench and buttoned it up swiftly. He noticed that Alice was examining his shirt curiously.

"What are these markings and what do they mean?" she asked.

"Why these are tribal markings. I am a New Canaanite, and this was customary attire for men."

"I see."

"Now let me ask you this, Alice. As you are of tribal descent, would you happen to know any tribal languages?"

"I do, somewhat. I used to practice the language of Res quite often with him."

"Impressive. So you're also a linguist like me?"

"I wouldn't say that. But yes, I know another language besides Spanish and English."

"How is it that you know Spanish? Isn't Spanish a dead language?"

"My mother taught it to me. She mostly spoke it around her own family. Through my father she learned English."

Every moment it seemed that the woman continued to impress him.

"I take it you would be able to speak fluently with the Sorrows and the Dead Horses?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The resident tribes, Alice."

"Right, right. I think so. I'm none too sure."

"Well, good."

Joshua went to his dresser and pulled out a bible. Alice took notice.

"You read the bible despite this world being harsh and cruel?" Alice asked

"Why, yes. Does that bother you?"

"Not at all, it just perplexes me. What have you to thank a God for?"

"Well, I thank him for sparing me despite the fact that I was once ruthless and vain. I feel I learned my true purpose, as if I was born anew. I have been baptized twice. Once in water, once in flame. I mean before my fall from grace, I was a Mormon."

"Oh."

Alice wanted to change the subject.

"Can I ask you something?"

she said

"Of course."

"Do any chems work on you, at all?"

Joshua shook his head.

"I'm afraid not."

"Oh. That's a bit of a problem."

"Indeed."

"Does it hurt every time you expose your skin to the air?"

"Oh, yes. But I only change my bandages because I'd much rather be clean than comfortable. I don't want to be infected."

"Good point. It's better than getting infections."

"It's getting late, Alice. We better head on to rest."

"Alright. Well, good night, and thank you for letting my stay."

"You're welcome. And you should know you are more than welcome to stay as long as you like, if not make residence here."

"Oh. That would be, wonderful. I mean, it is nice here, and I do love nature. Hopefully I can find animals."

"Alright, Alice. Good night."

Joshua settled himself down into his bighorner hide bed and fell asleep. Alice watched him, curious. This man seemed nice enough, she thought. She settled into the bed that was opposite of Joshua's and kicked off her shoes before falling asleep underneath a starry sky.


	8. Chapter 8

"Good morning, Alice."

Joshua greeted her kindly while sitting on a nearby bench.

"Hello." she said shyly as she got up from her bed, reaching for her glasses.

"How are you this morning?"

"Well rested. I don't believe I ever slept so well in a long time, thanks."

"I'm glad. So, are you getting hungry?"

"Yes."

"Good. I spared you some bighorner steak."

Joshua handed her the steak and she ate it ravenously.

"My goodness, you have an appetite!"

Alice licked her fingers and let out a satisfied belch.

"That good, huh?"

Alice nodded. Joshua chuckled quietly.

"Feel free to explore the canyon if you like. Just don't venture too far. Let me know when you do, so I can ask one of my men to accompany you. There are areas that we don't go to because well, they're trouble."

"Thank you," she said, walking over to the river.

Joshua watched her in wonder. She seemed like a nice sort of person. A bit strange mannered, but polite. He got up from the bench and went over to Angel cave to go repair some pistols. Alice noticed him walking toward the cave and followed him in. But before she could enter the cave, Two-Bears-High-Fiving exited and greeted her.

"Jah-at-tag."

"Hoi!" Alice replied in his native language.

Two-Bears-High-Fiving was pleased. She asked him about what was inside, and so he told her that the Burned Man lurked, meaning Joshua Graham, and that he was doing his work.

Alice nodded and thanked him in his spoken tongue and walked inside. Joshua looked up from his workbench and saw her approaching.

"So that was you speaking the language of the Dead Horses? For a second I assumed we encountered a female Dead Horses tribal. Impressive, your speaking capabilities are."

"Muchísimas gracias, señor."

Joshua went quiet, not understanding a word she just said.

"Oh, crap. Sorry. I was speaking Spanish."

"That's alright."

"So, you don't have any Pre-War technology?"

"No."

"I see."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't know. I'd say it'd be nice to do some research, to keep my mind off things that happened to me recently."

"What things, exactly?"

Joshua put down the pistol he was cleaning.

"Ah, I'd rather not speak of it. I just want to get over it as best as I can, and research usually does the trick for me, if not, mixing chemicals."

"I see. Well there are some things in the very back to work with. A few flasks and a set of test tubes. Go look for yourself later."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Joshua said, going back to work.

Alice stood there, watching him work. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. It looked as if it was second nature to the man, the way he went through each pistol so easily. It made her feel insignificant with the way she repaired weapons. Joshua noticed that she was still there watching him.

"Does my work interest you?"

Alice nodded.

"Do you want a closer look?"

Alice walked up over to his bench and stood behind him, at least two feet away.

"Come closer so you can see."

Alice took four steps closer and didn't move any further than that.

"How do you do that so quickly and efficiently?" she asked him.

"Simple, I've just done it for so long that it's as easy as breathing or thinking."

"I wish I could repair weapons as efficiently."

"You also repair weapons?"

"Yes. Or used to. Mostly hunting rifles or shotguns for my father or some of his friends. He was better at repairing pistols. I used to work with my father in his shop when I was young."

"Do you want to try your hand at repairing a .45 automatic pistol such as these?"

"Ah, sure."

Joshua got up from his seat and let her sit. Alice sat down and grabbed the nearest .45 pistol.

"Now, the trick is to check the safety and then pull out the mag to check if the springs work correctly. If they do, put the mag back inside of the gun and then set it aside. If not, get a screwdriver like the one on your right and remove the old springs and install new ones."

Alice did as instructed, but didn't have to remove any springs.

"Good. See? Not too hard."

Alice was fascinated with what she was doing, taking time to look at everything she did. Joshua smiled. Her eyes shined with the glee of a child on Christmas morning. It was amusing for him to watch.

"I take it you like doing this?"

Alice nodded.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Yes and no. I understand English, but I don't care much for being vocal, as I believe actions speak louder than words."

"I see."

"If I am to be judged, let it be based upon my actions and not upon the things I say to appease anyone."

"And those are the words you live by."

"Yes." Alice nodded quickly.

"Well, good work. And thank you for doing this for me." Joshua reached over and patted her shoulder.

Alice tensed up and moved away, cringing.

"Do you not like being touched?" he asked her.

"Not quite, no."

"Forgive me."

"Oh, you're forgiven." she said dismissively.

"Am I?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Never mind. Do you want to come explore the canyon with me?"

"I suppose. I don't have much to do anyways."

"Alright. Come with me."

Joshua waited for Alice to stand so that he could walk with her.

"So where to?"

"Just come. You'll see."

Both exited the cave and walked to the edge of the Virgin River.

"We go this way," he said to her.

Joshua walked slowly so that Alice could keep pace with him. He led her away from the Virgin River in the direction of the Southern Passage to a wall of rugged cliffs.

"Be careful. Climbing these cliffs can be difficult." Joshua said while proceeding to climb the cliffs cautiously.

"Okay." Alice said, meekly climbing up.

Joshua stopped and looked behind him to notice that Alice was struggling with getting up on the steep rock of which he stood upon.

"Do you need help?" he asked her.

"Oh, no, I'll be fi- shit!"

Just as Alice was going to fall backwards, Joshua grabbed her left arm and pulled her up quickly. Alice nearly knocked her head against his before regaining her balance. Joshua did not let go of her arm until he was sure she stood on the steep cliff.

"Thank you very much."

"Like I said, be careful. Why not go in front of me so that if you fall, I can catch you?"

Alice nodded and then moved forward in front of Joshua, who pushed her upward with a hand behind her lower back.

"I would really appreciate you not touching me there."

"Right. I apologize."

"It's fine."

"We don't have much farther. We're just going to go to a higher cliff and then walk from there on out."

Alice kept climbing up until she finally felt a flat surface, of which she pulled herself up onto and breathed a sigh of relief. Joshua came up behind her and then stood up.

"It's a bit hot out up here, if not hotter. Why is that?"

"Well, take a look about you. We are in the sunlight."

Alice looked up and squinted.

"I didn't mean to directly look. Here, get up. I brought you here so we could get a better view of Zion."

Joshua offered her his hand. Alice took it gingerly and he propped her up swiftly, reaching back behind her to dust her off. Alice stiffened once more.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes."

"You had dirt on your-"

"Yes, I know."

Joshua nodded.

"Come. We must take a quick look from this vantage point."

He walked to his left and took ten steps before stopping to look beyond him. Alice came up behind him to see what he was looking at, and adjusted her glasses accordingly.

"Wow," was all she said.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Breathtaking," Alice sighed.

"Yes, it sure is." Joshua said gravely.

Alice looked over at him, not sure what he meant by his tone, as she couldn't quite see his expression due to the bandages covering his face. The only thing she saw was his eyes wandering off into the distance, looking a bit empty. She wondered if he was sad about something with the land.

"You seem awful sad about something. Tell me, what is it?"

Joshua did not move, but turned his cool blue eyes on her, making direct contact with her own eyes so that she could not look away. He blinked slowly and then furrowed his brow before speaking.

"Alice, there's something going on at the moment that is rather taxing on me. You see, the White Legs are a problematic sort of people here in Zion. As a rite of passage, Caesar ordered them to, well, to get rid of the New Canaanites, most assuredly because of me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, do you want to know why I am this way?"

"You mean burned?"

Joshua nodded.

"Look, if you don't feel inclined to tell me, you don't have to. I understand."

"Well, let's just say he was cross and tried to make an example of me of how he doesn't accept failure from anyone."

Alice gasped, horrified.

"Again, we will save that for another day."

Joshua waved his hand dismissively.

"But anyways, the problem here in Zion is this: the White Legs wish to drive us out, meaning the Dead Horses and the Sorrows. My being here is stalling that plan, as I am here to help the Dead Horses make a stand, as this is their home. I wouldn't want them to lose their home the way I have. That is why I am their active war chief, though I do believe they would benefit more from the example of someone more fit than I."

Alice nodded, turning her head to look towards the river.

"So you're worried about losing Zion forever."

"Of course. Over time this has come to be home for me and Daniel, the other New Canaanite here. The rest of my people have been scattered ever since he ordered them to destroy New Canaan."

Alice stepped close to the tall man, who stood nearly two heads taller than her. He looked down at her.

"That is something we share, Mr. Graham. Caesar took from the both of us our homes."

"I'm so sorry that happened. Was this recent?"

"Yes."

Joshua could feel the intense heat of anger flowing through him, and began to see red.

"That damned Caesar."

"Are you alright?" Alice asked, concerned.

Joshua had to take a few deep breaths before the bloodlust kicked in. He looked at Alice and placed a hand on her left shoulder.

"Yes. I'm just very upset for your loss."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not."

"I know it's not fine that he destroyed my home, but you don't need to be sorry for it. You didn't do it." she said.

"Well, Alice, you are more than welcome to stay here with us. I think we could use a chemist such as yourself to act as another medic. Daniel tends to get stressed out when he doesn't have enough supplies to create Stimpaks or the means to find bandages. We normally wait on caravans to bring us those Old World necessities. We're a tolerant community, but don't overstep the limits of our generosity."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. From what I see from this vantage point, Zion has plenty of flora here that has the supplies needed for creating natural bandages or herbal remedies that are just as strong and efficient as a Stimpak."

"Thank you, Alice."

"You're welcome."

"Do you see the area over there? With the bridge?"

"Yes, that's where I came from."

"That leads to the Northern Passage. From here, it is called the Southern Passage, because it leads one back to the Mojave, and it is of course facing south. Over there to the east of it, is the Three Marys, Red Rapids Docks, and Bighorn Bluff. It would be wise of you not to venture near there, as that is where White Legs lurk. And over here a bit closer to us, though you can't quite see it, is the Zion Valley Welcome Booth, a Pre War structure."

Alice nodded.

"I believe I could memorize this fairly well."

"It seems easy, but do remember that cliffs can look very similar, and if one hasn't been here for long, they can get lost. Over time, though, you will familiarize yourself with Zion."

"Alright. Do you think we should head back?"

"Right now? I suppose. Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"So am I. Let's go. Here, I'll help you down. Get on my back."

"What?" Alice said taken aback.

"You're small enough. I don't mind carrying you down. Come now."

"I don't know."

"It'll be much faster and I will be less worried for you. Just do it."

"Alright." Alice said reluctantly.

Joshua crouched a bit and waited for Alice to come close. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around Joshua's neck and let him grab a hold of her legs and push her up a bit more.

"Are you sure I'm not heavy?" she asked him.

When Joshua turned his head, his cheek brushed against her nose, his eyes inches from hers.

"Not at all. Why, you weigh as much to me as a small knapsack."

"Ah."

Joshua walked over to the edge of the cliff from where they came from and turned around before crouching down and lowering his right leg. He took ahold of the jagged edges of the cliff carefully, making sure not to lose his balance. Alice was a bit frightened and pushed her face into his neck, breathing rapidly. Joshua felt her warm breath and shuddered a bit, as it felt strange to have a woman breathe on his neck. Once he was on the ground, he grabbed Alice's legs and put them down, then proceeded to removing her arms from his neck by taking hold of her small little hands.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Joshua turned around to face Alice and nearly forgot how short the woman was. He looked down at her face and then his eyes wandered to her right arm.

"How is your arm holding up?"

At the mention of her arm, she winced.

"Right, I forgot about that."

"Here, let me see it."

Alice stood there.

"No, I need to unzip you."

"Oh."

Alice's face went a beet red. Joshua felt awkward for telling her that, he was not used to telling a woman to undress before him.

"At least let me massage it if the muscles are hurting."

Joshua took a step closer and reached over to unzip her Vault 11 jumpsuit. But before he could pull down the zipper, Alice took ahold of both of his hands and looked at him, her eyes widened. Her hands were warm and soft against his burnt fingers.

"There's nothing to fear," he said, taking hold of her face with his right hand.

"I know."

"Then?"

Alice let go of his hands and unzipped herself down to her waist before tying the sleeves together into a knot. Joshua noticed that her entire body began to flush red with embarrassment, of which he found to be both cute and pitiful. He felt awful for making her feel so self conscious. She was wrapping her arms around her sides and shaking, so he decided to make it quick and reached over to the fading scar where her right arm was shot through and began massaging it.

"Ouch!" Alice tensed up.

"Sorry, it's a bit knotted over here on the shoulder."

"It's alright."

Joshua came up behind her and was absentmindedly looking at her body. His eyes wandered from the small of her back to her curving hips and back up to her shoulders and where her long, wavy, jet black hair was hanging past the back of her black, lacy bra. He stopped massaging her after he felt her relax.

"There. Any better?"

Alice nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He stepped in front of her and lightly traced his finger from her right shoulder to the fading pink lines of the gashes on her chest and rested his hand over her heart.

"And how do these feel? Any pain whatsoever?"

Alice shook her head.

"Good."

He removed his hands from her and moved them down to the sleeves so that he could zip her back up. When he was done zipping her up, he caught her staring at him. But as soon as Joshua met her eyes, she looked away, blushing. Joshua stepped back a couple of steps after realizing how close he was standing to Alice.

"Alright. Let's go back."

Alice nodded and stayed a good three feet away from him while they were both walking back. Joshua looked over at her, concerned.

"You don't have to walk that far from me, Alice. I won't hurt you."

Alice moved a foot closer but didn't budge any further.

"Did I embarrass you?"

"No. It's not that. I'm just, I don't know."

"You can tell me."

"I'm not used to people expressing genuine concern for me."

Joshua nodded in understanding.

"Well, I take it you're a good person. I pray for the safety of all good people that travel into Zion, but we can't expect God to do all the work."

"Ah."

Joshua could tell she was uninterested in the topic of God and decided to change the subject.

"My point here is that I show concern for those who express themselves to be good people, Alice. You seem to be a good person. A bit awkward and gawkish, no doubt. But intelligent and with naturally good intentions."

"Gawkish?"

Joshua could tell she was agitated.

"Forget I said anything. Let's get a bite to eat before we explore the rest of the canyon."

It took them another seven minutes to get back to the Dead Horses camp. By the time they arrived, they saw Follows Chalk sitting near the spit, turning some Bighorner steaks. Follows Chalk waved at the two before going back to turning the spit. Alice and Joshua walked over to the fire and sat across from each other. Follows Chalk grabbed two steaks and handed one to each.

"Goot keel, ahk iss." Good kill, my friend, Alice said to Follows Chalk.

Follows Chalk nodded.

"Yes, thank you, Follows Chalk." Joshua said.

Follows Chalk also nodded, then grabbed two steaks from off the spit and walked away from the fire. By doing so, he left Joshua and Alice alone together.

"The meat tastes great today, doesn't it?" Joshua asked her, trying to make conversation.

"Yes." Alice said.

"So, after this, do you wish to go the northern part of Zion?"

"I don't know. I mean, yes. But take a look at how hot it is right now. It's afternoon, which means the sun is at its highest point in the sky. I don't know that I want to do that at the moment. Maybe we should rest in the shade."

"If you say so, Alice. Do you wish to wait in the cave?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go. We can talk if you want, to pass time."

Alice looked uneasy when Joshua mentioned that.

"I don't know that I want to do that. You see, I'm not much of a talker."

"That's fine. Then perhaps you can just listen and let me talk. I too am not one who is inclined to talk, unless I have company. I hope you won't mind."

"No, not at all."

Joshua and Alice walked over into Angel Cave and sat next to each other at his workbench. He reached over for one of the pistols on the table and began to take it apart. Alice reached over for her backpack and pulled out her black journal and a pencil that was attached to the spine with a twine rope. She opened up a blank page in the book and began to draw.

"How are you feeling right now, Alice?"

"Fine, thanks," she said while sketching the outline of a sitting person. She looked over at Joshua and decided she would draw him, as it had been awhile since she drew a human subject.

"Well, that's good." Joshua said. "I was rather worried for you because of the damage you have taken physically."

"Thank you for being so kind."

"You're welcome. I try my hardest, but in some instances where others have crossed a line, I just simply can't be."

"I see." Alice said, noticing Joshua tense up a bit.

"It's very hard to be merciful to those who choose to be destructive and ruthless, especially with the White Legs."

"I'm awful sorry about that."

"It's not your fault that they are this way."

"Alright."

Alice went back to drawing Joshua and remained silent for the next ten minutes. Every so often, Joshua looked over at her curiously when he wasn't busy working on one of his pistols. He leaned over to look at what she was doing and noticed that she had been drawing something, a person of some sort. Alice noticed him watching and looked up, closing the book abruptly.

"What is that you're drawing, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, nothing."

Alice looked down and then pushed up her glasses with her index finger.

"Can I see it?"

"No!"

Joshua jolted back when she said that.

"Why not?"

"You just can't."

Joshua furrowed his eyebrow, not sure how to feel about her defensiveness.

"Alright, fine."

Alice got up, clearly not wanting to be around the man much longer. She couldn't stand it when people tried to nose their way into what she was doing.

"Where did you say the flasks were in the cave?"

"Back there." Joshua pointed behind him to a small passage that trailed off into the dark.

"Alright. Thanks."

Alice walked down the passage, which led to a dead end. At the dead end, she found a table, and upon this table there was a hot plate, four flasks, and a set of test tubes. Though there were no chemicals present, she still smiled. At least this was something, she knew she could find elements in their natural state somewhere in this canyon. She walked back to the entrance of the cave and snatched her backpack off of Joshua's workbench. His head snapped up when she grabbed the backpack, and he watched her disappear down the little passage before going back to servicing his large pile of pistols. Once she got to the table, Alice dumped the contents of her backpack and found some leather string, of which she put on the edge of the table. Then, she reached up behind her head and began to do a french braid with her hair and continued braiding it. As soon as she finished braiding it, she grabbed the leather string and then tied it around the end of the braid and then set the braid on her left shoulder.

"Ah, my lab coat!"

Alice frowned when she realized she didn't have it with her. She walked away from the table and went back over to the entrance of the cave. Joshua looked up when she came over and noticed that she was a bit sad.

"What's wrong, Alice?"

"It's nothing."

"You can tell me." he reassured her.

"I don't want to," she said crossly.

"Do you not trust me, Alice?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I hardly even know you!" she shouted.

"Why all this fuss? Maybe you should vent it out. Talk to me, it might help a bit."

"I don't even talk to people."

"But it's good to talk to people, especially those who wish to help you."

Alice sighed.

"I suppose you're right. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Don't be so tense with me. I'm just looking out for you."

Alice smiled sadly at him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Joshua said.

Both looked outside of the cave and noticed that the sun wasn't shining as brightly as before.

"Do you still want to explore the canyon, Alice?"

"Perhaps tomorrow. I just feel like I want to be inside the cave for a bit. I'm not sure. I have a lot on my mind and I don't think going out right now will really help that."

"If you say so. What will you do at this moment?"

Alice shrugged.

"You're more than welcome to sit here with me, if you like." Joshua said.

"I think I will."

Alice sat down to the right of Joshua, making sure to not touch him in any way.

"Oh, you don't have to sit that far away. How do you expect me to talk to you?"

"Right."

She moved a bit closer to him to the point where their elbows brushed.

"There. Now I can keep a better eye on you and I won't have to shout."

"Alright."

"So, Alice, if you don't mind my asking, how did you lose your home?"

Alice looked at him with a pained expression.

"I'd rather not speak of it."

"Alright."

Joshua went back to his work and Alice sat there, watching him.

"Are you going to need help removing your bandages, Mr. Graham?"

"Please, call me Joshua. And if you want to, you're more than welcome to help me when I'm done here."

"Alright."

Alice continued watching him until she rested her head against the table. Soon, her eyelids began to flutter and she drifted into sleep. For two hours, Joshua drifted in and out of thought, contemplating the issue of whether or not he and the tribals should even stay in Zion or not. He didn't want them to lose their home the way he did, not to those despicable, bloodthirsty White Legs, especially not to that butcher Salt-Upon-Wounds. Joshua then finally finished the last of his pistols for the day and then put them aside. He looked over at Alice and noticed she was snoring softly with her mouth open. How peaceful she looked, sleeping. It amused him so, how adorable the woman was. So childlike, but yet so mature. What he would give to be in his thirties again. Joshua began reminiscing about his youth. How strong he was, how energetic, how good looking, until his mind wandered to the memories of joining the Legion. Then, Joshua's thoughts became dark, and he could feel himself well up with anger and guilt over his past sins. Joshua's hands clenched into fists, and soon he felt the flames of anger burn strongly within. His breathing became more rapid and soon his bloodlust kicked in, as he was ready to rip apart Caesar with his bare hands.

"No!" Joshua shouted, shaking.

Joshua's shouting woke up the dozing Alice. Alice rubbed her eyes and then looked over at Joshua, who was breathing heavily and shaking.

"Are you okay?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

When Joshua felt her hand, he grabbed it angrily, reached for her collar and then pulled her face close to his, glaring down into her doe like brown eyes. Alice shrank back, terrified. Then, Joshua snapped out of his anger and an expression of concern crossed his grey blue eyes. He looked at Alice with a pained expression, and it was then that Alice realized how much more mangled and scarred Joshua was on the inside than he was outside. When she looked deeply into his blue eyes, she could see that he was haunted over some horrible past events that seemed to plague him with guilt, fear, and regret.

"I am so sorry, Alice."

Joshua ceased clutching her wrist and collar and then scooted away from her.

"It's alright."

"No. It's not. I'm not alright. I'm, I'm awful sorry that you had to see that side of me."

"It's alright. We all have our bad sides. I would know. All my sides are terrible."

Joshua shook his head.

"Don't say things like that, Alice. That's not kind to yourself."

"It's alright. But are you doing okay?"

Joshua nodded.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"Right now, since I'm done here, do you think you can help me remove my bandages? I can normally do them myself, but you make it much faster and therefore, less painful."

"Of course."

Joshua and Alice both got up abruptly. Alice walked over to Joshua and carefully undid his vest and shirt. Joshua began to unwrap the bandages from his left hand, and Alice walked over to one of the storage pots that held the bandages. The moment Joshua's skin was exposed to the air, he could feel himself cringe in pain. He tried to suppress a groan, but it still managed to escape his lips. Alice hurried over with the fresh bandages and put them in her pocket so that they wouldn't be ruined by the dirt on the ground.

"Here, let me take care of that," Alice said.

Alice grabbed Joshua's left arm and then rapidly unwrapped his entire left arm before tossing the soiled bandages to the ground. She swiftly pulled out the fresh bandages and made sure to wrap them in a fastidious manner to where the bandages wouldn't fall off.

"Thank you, Alice." Joshua said.

Alice nodded curtly.

"Ready for the next arm, Joshua?" she asked.

Joshua sighed.

"I suppose," he said, holding his right arm out for her.

While Alice unwrapped his old bandages carefully, Joshua couldn't help but watch her. He noticed how she moved about with caution, making sure to not to harm him or touch him at all. Alice was trying very hard not to let her expressions show, as she was deeply saddened to see Joshua's skin condition. She finished wrapping up his right arm in five minutes and then moved to unwrapping his chest and neck.

"Hold your arms up for me, please, Mr. Graha- I mean, Joshua."

Joshua did as she asked while she removed the bandages. He winced in pain after feeling the air burn his skin.

"Sorry." Alice said.

"It's fine." he reassured her as she placed fresh, cool bandages upon his skin.

Now that Alice was done with his chest, she took off the bandages on his neck and made sure not to brush up against his face. Joshua looked down at her, watching. Alice could feel his gaze upon her face and tried her hardest to ignore it. Her hand accidentally brushed up against Joshua's neck, and he sighed because of how cool and soothing it felt.

"I'm terribly sorry."

"No no. It's fine."

"Almost done-"

"No rush."

Alice finished with Joshua's face in less than ten minutes.

"Alright." Alice nodded.

"Thank you very much, Alice."

"Yes, of course." she said. "I believe I'm going to, well, draw in my journal. I don't quite have a sketch book, but it will do."

"Are you going to work on that same person?" Joshua asked.

"Possibly."

"Alright. Well, if you need anything, I'll be inside of the cave."

Alice watched him walk away and stood there, her thoughts trailing off into the night.


	9. Chapter 9

"What can I do for you today, Alice?" Joshua looked up at Alice while holding up his bible.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ask if you knew anything about the flora in Zion. I intended to explore a bit in an effort to find herbs and spices so that we could flavor the meat for a change."

Joshua nodded.

"There's an abundance of flora here, you just have to look around for a bit. I can't exactly tell you where to go for sure, but take caution when exploring. White Legs lurk everywhere and are known to be savages. Here." Joshua tossed her his personal pistol.

Alice caught it in between her two hands.

"Thank you."

"Try to return soon and don't venture too far away from here."

"Alright."

"May God be with you, Alice."

Alice looked at him funny.

"Is it a sin to wish that you're looked after by the Lord?"

"I guess not."

"Alright. Be safe, Alice."

Alice nodded and then walked along the river, heading north. Joshua watched her until she was out of his sight and then went back to reading. For a while, he drifted in and out of concentration, as he was thinking about what he should do for the well being of the Dead Horses. As they looked up to him so greatly, he still couldn't help but feel he was the best sort of influence. The Dead Horses saw him as a dependable war chief, of which Joshua felt he didn't quite deserve that authority. What irked him greatly was that Zion might be lost to them forever if the White Legs conquered them. Already New Canaan was destroyed, its citizens scattered across the Great Salt Lake. Joshua wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with that same kind of pain again. He lost his home, his family, his tribe. It bothered him to know he was one of the last surviving New Canaanites. Who would continue the missionary work of New Canaanites, if say he and Daniel died?

Joshua for a moment though about having that woman Alice continue his missionary work for him, but then remembered that she wasn't too involved in the church, and that she was used to the Catholic way. Unless of course he found her a New Canaanite husband and they had children who could carry on the missionary work for them, perhaps even keep the tribe alive somehow. No, he couldn't control the woman's life like that. That in itself was wrong. Perhaps he had to find himself a wife to raise a family of New Canaanites. But it would be great if he at least included the woman in his life somehow, as she proved to be very helpful. That medical knowledge could prove useful among the Dead Horses and Sorrows.

Alice walked away from the encampment while examining the pistol Joshua had lent her. It had Greek letters on the sides, or so it seemed. She couldn't quite understand what it said, and so gave up on trying to read what the text said. Instead, she focused on the soothing sounds of nature, such as the trickling of the river and the buzzing of insects. Alice didn't realize it, but she was headed in the direction of Bighorn Bluff, the White Leg settlement. She was too busy basking in the warmth of the sunlight and the cool caress of the gentle breeze that passed through the canyon, swaying the various flowers that painted the canyon with bright hues of purples, blues, whites, and yellows among a scattering of pine trees and other brush plants.

"Oh, dear."

Alice looked down and realized she stepped on a budding rosemary plant. She removed her foot and then picked a stem from the plant before placing the stem inside her jumpsuit pocket.

Unbeknownst to her, Salt-Upon-Wounds happened to be scouting along for his next meal. He caught sight of her from twenty feet away, then hid behind a nearby tree to take a close look at her. From what he saw, she did not look like a tribal, but instead a caravan person of some sort, and a rather pretty one at that. Perhaps she could be used for his own pleasure. She began walking in his direction, and he decided he would ensnare her. A few moments after she passed his hiding spot, he silently crept up behind her and grabbed her around the waist.

Alice screamed and thrashed about, trying to escape, but it was no use. Frantically, she reached for the pistol Joshua had given her and tried to shoot Salt-Upon-Wounds in the face, but he pulled the weapon out of her hand and then stashed it in a pocket on his leg. Salt-Upon-Wounds choked her until she went unconscious, then threw her onto his shoulder as if she were merely a knapsack. From a distance, Follows Chalk heard a female voice screaming. He was atop of a cliff near the river, and thus looked down. There below, a good fifty feet away, was Alice, being held by a White Leg whom he could not identify. Panicked, he quickly ran back in the direction of the Dead Horses camp to notify Joshua.

Meanwhile at camp, Joshua was reading scriptures, trying to ease his mind about the possibility of evacuating the Dead Horses and Sorrows from Zion. He wasn't quite ready to have to train the Sorrows how to defend themselves, but at the same time, he didn't wish for them to lose their home the way he lost his at the hands of the Legion. He sighed and tried to focus on the positive messages of the scripture, but it was no use. Flashbacks of his former self continued to come back in his mind. How vain, young, brutal, heartless, prideful, stern, demanding and domineering he once was. It was a combination of his brute strength, endurance, and his bloodthirsty habits that had made him turn out so horribly fearsome. Joshua remembered how he punished those who disobeyed or disappointed him, whether it was the men who served under him, or the women he used to gratify his carnal desires.

"No!"

Joshua shook his head rapidly, wishing to not remember such things. It made his blood boil with hatred, his heart hurt with guilt and regret, and his skin scorch with pain.

"Joshua!" Follows Chalk shouted from a distance.

Follows Chalk's voice snapped Joshua out of his trance and he abruptly got up, dusting off his bible before setting it gently on a nearby bench. He ran over to the man, concerned.

"What is it?"

"Woman! Woman is with White Leg! Go quickly! Danger!" he said exasperated.

Joshua felt his stomach drop.

"I'll be right back," he told Follows Chalk as he ran into Angel Cave to retrieve a pistol. Once he retrieved a pistol, he headed north in the direction of the White Legs encampment, sprinting just so he could get to Alice in time.

Alice was surrounded by three White Legs, and not too far from the White Legs encampment. She was currently unarmed and completely screwed, as she was tied to a tree with the rope digging into her skin. The pistol Joshua had loaned her was a few feet away from the tree she was tied to, sitting near a pile of rocks. Salt-Upon-Wounds circled her closely while holding a knife in his hand. Three of his men sat behind him on rocks, awaiting his command.

"Ahm sunhai tidah!" I'm lucky today, he said.

Alice recognized the language and thus decided to try to persuade Salt-Upon-Wounds to let her live.

"Subai thah, tsahh!" Stop that, please, she asked.

Salt Upon Wounds looked at her, impressed that she understood him.

"Ahm naaiyawi choo!" I'm playing with you, he said.

Alice narrowed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Deyai yoo, makku!" Stop that! Alice said, agitated.

Instead, he shook his head, smiling. Salt-Upon-Wounds looked her up and down, marveling at her beauty. Perhaps he would save her for his own intentions, she would make a great mistress. Alice began tampering with the rope, struggling to break free.

"Nokihn run, yoo!" No, you can't run! Salt-Upon-Wounds said, laughing.

His men stood up, looking at her with hungry eyes. Alice tried not to notice them approaching her with lust in their eyes. Oh, how she wished that Joshua Graham were here to help her. A White Leg male reached for her face, licking his lips. Alice felt his cold hand against her face and squirmed away. The White Leg proceeded to lick her face and then nibble at her neck. It was enough to make Alice gag and want to vomit in the tribal's face.

"Eno." Enough, Salt-Upon-Wounds said, pushing back the White Leg.

As soon as the White Leg stepped back, a gunshot to the head killed him. The other two White Legs nearby looked in the direction of where the bullet came from and saw Joshua Graham approaching, a pistol in his hand. They each grabbed their weapons and then proceeded to attack. Alice saw Joshua and felt happiness spread throughout her.

The two White Legs fought Joshua viciously. One was swinging away at him with a tomahawk, and the other was shooting him with a "storm drum," a ,45 automatic submachine gun. Salt-Upon-Wounds saw Joshua and decided to sprint away from the fight. He did not want to face the man, not now. This woman wasn't worth his own life, he decided to leave her there to die. Joshua switched from shooting to using his pistol as a melee weapon and knocked one of the White Legs unconscious in a matter of minutes. The other White Leg continued to shoot at him up until he ran out of ammunition. Joshua managed to uppercut the White Leg and then knocked him to the ground in a crippled mess. He then ran over to the tree where Alice was tied up and cut her loose.

"Thank you so much, Joshua!" Alice reached over to hug him.

"Don't thank me yet," he patted away her arms and handed her his pistol that was on the ground.

Alice nodded, her face setting into a serious expression.

"Where's Salt-Upon-Wounds?" Joshua asked her.

"He-"

Alice looked around her.

"He's gone."

Joshua dismissed this as one of the White Legs got right back up and tried to attack him with his tomahawk.

"Die where you stand!" Joshua said, shooting at the White Leg's chest.

Within seconds, the White Leg fell to his knees, with blood oozing out of his chest. He still tried to crawl over to Joshua to cut him up, but Joshua kicked him away and shot him in the neck. Soon, the White Leg was dead.

Alice walked over to the other White Leg who was crippled. She thought he was dead, and was about to loot his body until the White Leg reached for his storm drum and aimed at her head.

"Alice, look out!"

"Huh?"

Joshua tackled Alice to the ground before the White Leg shot her, and then proceeded to shooting him dead in the eye. The White Leg dropped the storm drum as the last remnants of life escaped his body. Alice was breathing heavily, as Joshua's weight was pressing too hard on her rib cage. Joshua lifted his head from her chest and stood up, offering her his hand.

"Sorry for crushing you," he told her.

"It's alright," Alice said, taking his hand and standing up.

Joshua pressed his fingers to the last dead White Leg's neck, making sure he was indeed, dead. He turned his head and locked eyes with Alice. Alice backed away from him, feeling as if she had angered him.

"You shouldn't have done that, Alice." Joshua said sternly.

"I know, I'm sor-"

"How could you venture out like that without telling me? And why did you have to come here of all places? Don't you know that Zion has its dangers?"

"I do, but-" she said meekly.

"No! You don't! If I hadn't made it here in time, you could have ended up dead, or worse! It's a good thing I was notified of your capture, otherwise Salt Upon Wounds would have made off with you!"

"Joshua, I-"

"You should never, and I mean NEVER go anywhere around here alone. Ever. I don't want anything else to try to harm you. You were already in bad condition when I found you, and if anything else got to you, well, I don't know what I would do with myself. I'd feel awful."

"I'm sorry."

Joshua sighed.

"Next time you want to venture, just ask me, Alice. I realize I can be busy, but if you ask me in advance, I can set time aside for you. Just ask. That's it. Don't go trying to do things on your own. There are good people here who can help you. And by that I mean myself and the Dead Horses. You don't have to go about life alone, even if you're used to doing things your way."

Alice looked down and away from Joshua. He put a hand on her shoulder and for once she didn't flinch.

"Thank you, Joshua. For saving me." she said quietly.

"You're welcome."

Alice looked up at him, concerned.

"Is there any way we can ever negotiate with the White Legs to leave us alone?"

Joshua held his breath but never removed his eyes from hers.

"I'm afraid that's not something we can look forward to," he said gravely. "They tear apart anyone who isn't a White Leg, and they're stubborn too. They refuse to listen, and only seek and destroy anything unfamiliar. Besides, Salt-Upon-Wounds is a butcher."

"So even if I happened to speak to them, they'd still have killed me?"

"Well, from what I saw, they would have most likely kept you for entertainment purposes, and not the decent kind."

"So that's why they didn't kill me. They wanted me as a prostitute."

"Perhaps, but the way Salt-Upon-Wounds looked at you, it seemed as if he wanted you for himself and his own pleasures." Joshua said, irritated.

Alice shuddered.

"It's okay." Joshua squeezed her shoulder.

Alice crumbled into herself and began to shake.

"There now, it's all right."

Joshua wrapped his arms around her waist from behind protectively in order to calm her.

"Such men disgust me. But more than anything, they scare me." she said.

"Alice, I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Ever."

Alice grabbed his hands and squeezed them tightly before turning around to face him.

"Joshua, I'm scared."

"Don't be. I'm here."

He lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes.

"As long as you stay by my side, nothing will happen to you. I promise."

A few tears began to fall from Alice's face. Joshua lifted a finger to wipe them away, but accidentally pushed her glasses off her nose and dropped them.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Joshua bent down to pick them up. When he stood up, he put them back on her face and then patted her cheek as if she was a small child.

"There."

"Thanks."

Alice smiled.

"You're welcome."

Alice looked at the three dead White Legs.

"Do you think they have anything valuable on them?" she asked Joshua.

"If you want, go ahead and loot. Though I doubt they have much of interest or real value. I mean, take a look at their weapons."

"Let's get back to camp." she said.

Alice followed Joshua, making sure to stay in step with him so that she wouldn't get lost or be afraid.

"Joshua?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for being so kind."

"You're welcome." Joshua said, reaching for her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Alice smiled, extremely grateful for Joshua's strong and protective presence. She squeezed his hand back and together they walked hand in hand, one making sure not to lose track of the other in the dark as they meandered through the canyon into the night.


End file.
